The DMX protocol is basically the same as the RS485 protocol, so we can use any RS485 USB converter to control DMX devices. DMX controllers are usually not that cheap, using this guide, you save money for possibly a hardware MIDI controller for your lighting software.
Before you start using this guide, I want you to know there is a second tutorial available on creating a USB-DMX controller using an RJ45 cable HERE
- RS485 Adapter that uses an FTDI RS232 Serial Chip (Buy Here, Here, Here), I got the one as shown in the image below but any USB to RS485 converter that is based on an FTDI RS232
- Female (Chassis) XLR connector (Buy Here, Here, Here)
- (Optional) ABS Enclosure (Buy Here)
The USB-RS485 converter has the following 3 to 6 connectors:
- A or Tx+ or +Data or +ve
- B or Tx- or -Data or -ve
- GND or GROUND or 0V
- (optional) 5V or VCC
- (optional) Rx-
- (optional) Rx+
We only need the 3 connections, the GND,Data+ and DATA- are the only connections required for sending a DMX signal. These 3 signals correspond to the 3 pins/holes in a XLR connector:
The connections of the XLR/DMX plug as numbered above are:
- Ground/GND
- Data-
- Data+
Now it’s simple, just connect the corresponding ground and data outputs and your DMX Dongle is ready:
- Connect GND of your RS485 to pin #1 of your XLR
- Data-/TX- of your RS485 goes to pin #2 of you XLR
- Data+/TX+ of your RS485 goes to pin #3 of your XLR
Try to keep these wires as short as possible, long wires may add extra interference… if experiencing problems, try twisting the data+ and data- wires. I used regular cat5e networking cable for the wiring.
Not all devices seem to work out of the box, below is a Fix for those devices that are not sending DMX:
Here are a few fixes for if your board does not send DMX, Please leave a comment on the fix you tried. It would be a great help for anyone having problems with this board in the future.
- Try terminating your DMX chain, this may solve your problems.
- FT_PROG FIX YOUR FTDI RS485 DMX INTERFACE
- DMX RS485 WRONG BOARD FIX
I recently got a reply from “Pepe” suggesting a new Fix that will fix unstable DMX adapters.
I bought this one and is working, and I see a small modification here on my chip out of the box. There are two shorted pins (as I remember I try to short some pins to get continuous work. maybe that was that case that was working for me)
I attaching a diagram (Make sure to check the orientation of the chip (you can test it by shorting reset and VCC) so maybe this is another Fix (for those wich get it work for few minutes and then it fail) http://prntscr.com/7yvfmb
Ps a AGDD+test pin are conected to maing ground ( GDN + PWR Led (a GDN side)
Hopefully, this will help.
Windows: The best free software available(for windows) is Freestyler DMX, download and install HERE.
Now in settings choose the interface “Enttec open DMX“.. this device is based on an RS485 and works with any RS485 device.
Now click save, add your fixtures and start programming your show.
Other Software :
Mac: QLC+, Download Here. Personally, I find this the easiest, best program there is for free.
***Other compatible software :
DMXControl
Martin M-Series Software + (Fixture Library)
(Mac Appstore)JV Lightning DmxControl free and pro
DMX Signal randomly stops:
– Try plugging your DMX Adapter in a POWERED! hub (with external power supply) this may fix random stops.
What software can I use? :
http://www.enttec.com/?main_menu=Products&pn=70303
Drivers? :
The FTPI chip should work without manual driver installation, if the default windows drivers aren’t working for you you can try downloading & installing these drivers:
http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/D2XX.htm
Normal LED behavior :
Plugged in, not sending: Red Led
Pugged in & Sending: Red Led ON & Green LED Flashing
Small, quick and easy test software?:
kmtronic.com DMX Tester
QLC+ won’t work:
The Mavericks update broke DMX output on mac’s, you need to replace your FTDI driver with an older version.
Other problems try these:
– Try on different computers & always try the windows driver first.
– (laptop) Try unplugging the power adapter & try again
– When trying, only use 1 DMX light, if these works try adding more lights to the chain.
– more solutions in the comments below.
Board :
Sending DMX :
Confirmed not working RS485 adapters :
Pro 5ft. USB to RS485-RS422 Converter with FTDI Chip
Prolific USB to serial adapter (uses pl2303)
Any MAX485 Adapter : (image provided by marmil)
Reader creations
Photo’s of your creation can be mailed to [email protected], these images will be added to this post to help other users create their device.
Thanks to kefke44 for creating a 3D printable enclosure for this build. Free to download Here.
| © 2009-2025
539 Responses
I’ve been surfing online more than three hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all site owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the net will be much more useful than ever before.
lageoi have a small project thats ruinnng 5 RBG strips and several white LED strips. i’ve been using the Dmx master shield to drive my dimmer board. It seemed to be working fine for a day and a half and then the other morning i went to turn it on, the power indicator lit up, but its not sending dmx to the dimmer. not knowing what else to do, i pluged a new one in, it worked great, problem solved, 10 minuets latter it also stopped sending. i’m totaly perplexed. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
i will need more info if you want me to help you…
please help me i have the same module, and i want to control parkan led light with this module please tell me how can i control link is below for light that i have
http://www.dhgate.com/store/product/4x-lot-ce-approved-rgbw-54-3w-led-par-light/161251529.html
is the device found by your computer. are there any leds flashing when starting your dmx software???…
yes sir one red light and one green light is blinking on rs485 device when i connect it
You will probably have two RS485 drivers active at the same time. In general only the USB-RS485 converter should be driving the DMX signal, all other DMX products should only have their receiver enabled, and their RS485 driver disabled. In most cases this is a hardware input to the RS485 chip, and when left unconnected (open) the behaviour of the chip cannot be predicted. Check the datasheet of the RS485 chip and make sure that the driver is disabled.
I just try to make that, because I have some usb-485 FT232RL converters, but FreeStyler returns a problem to make it works and I don’t know how to use DMX Control (I don’t speak german).
I want to try this “USB-DMX” conversor to control a wall washer that have an DMX input, do you know how I can do it?
Thanks,
Did you try installing a FTDI Driver from the Enttec Website :
http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/D2XX.htm
Also read the Enttec FAQ :
Or you can try another app :
http://www.enttec.com/?main_menu=Products&pn=70303
Hi I saw this and really needed a DMX interface so I bought the board and put it together just as in the instuctions. When i plug it in,PW light turns on, when i open Qlights, RX light turns on and my mini par that i’m testing it with starts flashing about every two or three seconds. I once got it to work and could control it RGB for a few seconds, but even then it still flashed white every few seconds. Tried the FT-Prog on my old windowsXP but the program doesn’t recognize it. I wanted to ask if you had any ideas before I start soldering it up.
not sure what the problem is but i don’t think soldering will fix it. Looks like some interference problem… how long are the wires from your board to your female/xlr adapter?
My RS485 – USB from the first (eBay) link you posted is ordered about 2 weeks ago. I think I get it in 2 weeks.
I’ll let you know if it work! Thanks for this very usefull post.
Yesterday I received my RS485 – USB thing (first eBay link). I already had a XLR connector for building the complete into a box.
I connected the xlr to the rs485 -usb, and plugged it into my PC. There was shining 1 light from the usb thing. I started up Freestyler and I choose Enttec Open DMX. Huh, it says there wasn’t a adapter plugged in. I plugged a dmx cable in the adapter and putted the dmx cable into a mushroom. It was on te right channel. After I had done that a second light goes on.
But still freestyler didn’t saw a adapter. Also if i select Enttec Pro dmx and click on the usbchannel it was in it didn’t work. But when I select the enttec pro there was blinking another green light.
I still haven’t got it working. I think I need some drivers. Can anyone help me? I already installed the drivers from the enttec site but that doesn’t changed a thing.
In Windows Device Manager, is there a “USB Serial Port(Com x)” under “Ports (COM & LPT)”? If not, you have to install the FTDI driver that came on the CD of the RS485. In Freestyler, this will only work with the Enttec Open DMX, not with the Pro.
There is a category ‘unknown’ and there stands ‘USB-SERIAL CH340 (COM3)’. There were not any drivers in the package, i contacted the company from ebay and send me a link for a drivers. But after install nothing changed.
Even after reboot, Freestyler says by Enttec open DMX: ‘No USB->DMX found’.
Maybe you can help me with Teamviewer or something?
Did you try installing a FTDI Driver from the Enttec Website
http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/D2XX.htm
Also read the Enttec FAQ :
Or you can try another app :
http://www.enttec.com/?main_menu=Products&pn=70303
Status from the USB-RS485 says there are new drivers installed, but still doesn’t work with freestyler.
Can you contact me via mail so you can help me via Teamviewer or something?
I will be adding a guide on how to install drivers soon.
I know how to install them, but the windows driver which is pre-installed in windows 8 stays running.
i will test my device first, you can add me on fb so we can talk.
Lars, did you make it work in the end?
I also bought a converter which was automatically detected by Windows 7 x64 as ‘USB-SERIAL CH340 (COM3)’ and I can’t make it work too – Freestyler says “No USB->DMX found”
Since it does not use a FTDI chip, installing the FTDI drivers has no point (though it seems to install the COM driver successfully)… it uses different drivers.
I’m afraid it won’t work since it’s not a “direct” USB->RS485 converter… it’s actually USB->RS232->RS485 converter (it uses the CH340G+MAX485 chips):
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Free-Shipping-1PCS-USB-2-0-to-RS485-Serial-Converter-Adapter-CH340G-MAX485-or-SN75176-CNT/812021_1435407038.html
It’s installed only as a COM port in Windows, but the Enttext FAQ talks also about “USB serial converter” device which I don’t see in my device manager…
This only works with RS485 converters WITH FTDI chip, without will not work.
Great effort. Maybe somebody could try our M-PC software with this device as well. M-PC is free for one Universe.
Matthias
Product Manager, Martin Professional
Awesome to see Martin on this blog.
I will try your software as soon as my board arrives
Let us know how it went 🙂
I just received my board.
Maybe i will have acces to a lighting installation with some moving heads and washers so i can try the software.
Can I connect 2 of these to a single computer to have multiple universes?
yes you can, freestyler should support this aswel as the ARTNet client.
I want to use Q light Control. It’s free open source. I assume your device will work. For $10 or so it’ll be fun trying.Just thought I’d ask.
OOPS! I see it’s one of the recommended apps. Cool. I have the part on order.Thanks
Great Resource! Thanks for sharing.
Do you remember where you bought your enclosure from?
It looks really nice and looks like a perfect size
I can’t remember where i bought the enclosure, but you should find similar enclosures when googling for hobby or universal enclosures.
I ordered all the parts today not sure if its going to work out or not . Can somebody tell me they have tried it and it is working fine . Thanks
It’s going to work as long as you bought an RS485 adapter WITH FTDI chip :). Let us know how it went…
I Bought The One On Ebay , And I Have All The Parts I Am Just Waiting On The RS485
This guide is working however some boards need a fix : http://stevenbreuls.com/2014/04/dmx-rs485-wrong-board-fix-by-germandy/
I finally got my device after 35 days of waiting for the delivery. I need to do the solution 1 from the fix posted to make my usb dmx working. Now working on QLC and Freestyler. Thank you for this tutorial.
Can you please post/find an updated link, the one you posted seems to be broken and it is still relevant after 10 years
Hi, first thanks for this tutorial… it’s great.
Second, i’ve bought and done all things like you say, but i cannot put my led can doing anything.
I’ve checked all inside software QLC Plus and with correct addresses and all. QLC+ connects correctly to RS485 without any error. But the led can does not light 🙁
Questions:
1- I’m not using a XLR terminator, can this be the cause? (i already bought on and is comming)
2- Is somehow needed to have more power in USB? I don’t think so, because RS485 connects ok, but… don’t know.
It should work if you did the wiring right:
-Have you tried Freestyler DMX yet?
-Have you tried another pc/laptop?
-Have you tried manually installing drivers : http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/D2XX.htm
The DMX terminator shouldn’t be the problem since i’m using mine without terminator aswell.
I only had my PC and with Linux, so Freestyler was out my possibilities. I will try next weekend with a friend’s PC, also with windows and i will report back here.
What type of wire is being used to connect the DMX Plug to the RS485? please advise 🙂
The wires are not really fat. They are thin. I’ve just extracted them from a old power switch i had from an old PC. hmmm, if that could be the problem i will get other wires. Does You know thin wires can give problems?
shouldn’t be a wire problem but solid cables are recommended for data transfer, don’t use stranded wires.
More then likely you’ve done exactly what I did.Even though there are only 3 connections the diagram is confusing. I had mine wired backwards and I suspect you do too.Leave the middle wire were it is and swap positions of the 2 outer wires and see if this doesn’t fix it.Steven needs to make this diagram more clear. it’s a great project and I fear some folks think it’s not because they can’t get it going.
Thanks for letting me know, will add a more detailed diagram ASAP
I used a RJ45 network cable but any cable can be used as long as it’s thin.
I bought a ftdi friend from MCM Electronics. Connections are RTS, RX, TX, VCC, CTS, GND. I have looked all over the net and cannot figure out which connections correspond to your design. Any help would be great. Thanks
RX = Data- => XLR pin2
TX = Data+ => XLR pin3
GND = Ground => XLR pin1
I bought my device on dx.com. It arrived today. on the back of the pannel I see the letters from top to bottom ” P ” then in the middle ” A ” and on the bottom ” GND” .
I dont see rx or tx. A could be positive gnd is ground. What could be the A in the middle?
I am affraid I will damage something . gnd to pin 1 is no problem. what next??
you can’t do damage but you should just copy my wires from the image in the post, i assume the board stil has the same wiring except for the letters printed on it
okay so I ordered every thing and the computer and program recognized the device , but I do not know how t use the program FreeStyler. I would appreciate a lot of help Thanks
Search youtube for some tutorial video’s. these should help you getting started in Freestyler.
I didn’t care for Freestyler. I use QLC+
I find it more intuitive.
indeed, I used freestyler for a long time, bought mac and installed QLC+. I will probably never use freestyler again 🙂
We got some problems with FTDI FT232 Chip. The lights on the chip all work and blink when we use the chip, and freestyler also sends out the correct output (or at least some output), but none of the lights we used reacted to the DMX signal. We used two Ibiza Light lmh 300’s and an Eurolite kls 401. Both light are compitable with DMX512. We have actually used both before with a dmx controller and both worked. First time we tried with stranded wires, now we changed the wires and build a case for it, but still no result. What could the problem be? Or is the chip just broken?
Still no luck making it work 🙁
How exactly are the adapter LEDs supposed to behave?
When I connect the adapter to USB, a red “PW” LED lights up – that’s correct, I suppose.
When I start FreeStyler or e.g. the KMTronic test software ) a blue “RX” LED starts flashing rapidly – is this correct or not?
Now, whatever I try to do with the DMX channels (e.g. moving the sliders in the KMTronic test), the attached fixture does not do anything, the blue “TX” LED flashes still the same, the “RX” LED does nothing.
Is there anything I need to set, like baud rate or so?
This is really frustrating…
I am having the same exact problem Evzen. I’ve tried uninstalling software and drivers, rewiring the plug and different USB cable. Still no solution.
Try this guide : http://stevenbreuls.com/2014/04/dmx-rs485-wrong-board-fix-by-germandy/
I had the same Problem.
I found out that the problem is the signal “DE” – pin.3 of 75176.
The rising of “DE” is too late. Because of that dmx data packet is not complete.
“DE” and “/RE” are connected to “CBUS2” – pin.13 of FT232RL;
compare with the schematic of enttec openDMX
==> “DE” and “/RE” are connected to “RTS”.
Here is my solution:
– lift off pin.2 and pin.3 of 75176 from solder pads
– connect these 2 pins to +5v pin.8 of 75176
– driver is now always enabled
Tested with QLC+ on OSX 10.7.5 :: OK.
See also:
http://www.ftdichip.com/Support/Documents/DataSheets/ICs/DS_FT232R.pdf
…. and thanks a lot to steven for these great idea!!!
It worked! Thanks for the solution, GermAndy! Don’t think I could’ve figured that one out. And thanks to Steven for this money saving trick. Works great with my 6 mac 250s!
It works here too!
Thanks a MILLION, GermAndy!!!
And BTW, the LEDs behavior is still the same – blue RX LED rapidly flashing all the time, green TX LED not flashing at all.
Anyway, IT WORKS! 😉
Thanks for finding a solution however i bought multiple RS485 adapters and all worked out of the box 😮
Where did you purchase your RS485 adapter from, Steven?
I added a detailed photo of my board in the FAQ section. I bought mine from this link :
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-USB-To-RS485-FTDI-Interface-Board-FT232RL-Double-Function-Protection-Module-/200720518972
info of my board :
FTDI chip : FT232RL
75176B
Production date : 2011/04/28
Model/sn : 2C0834-1
Freestyler output refreshrate = 50
When sending i have a Green RX led flashing.
I have a question. Is there anyway you can post a picture of the final modification you made to this. I think I know what you mean here but I just want to make sure that I was doing it correct. Do you run a wire to pin 8 from pin 2 and 3. or is it a jumper you change from the board itself. Thanks for the information in advance.
Sorry, there is no jumper to do this modification.
You need an soldering iron and a short wire.
Here is a picture of my modification:
Thanks! i will post a guide on your solution soon.
Hi Sir can you provide a clear image of this modification.
The fix guide is finished : http://stevenbreuls.com/2014/04/dmx-rs485-wrong-board-fix-by-germandy/
I found exactly the same thing using QLC+ under Ubuntu 12.04 on a HP laptop. I lifted pins 2 and 3 of the RS485 transciever, shorted them together and the system started working perfectly. I did not need to tie them to +5v and therefore assumed there is an internal pullup to Vcc.
this will make the mod a lot easier, thanks for your comment. i wrote a guide on how to fix wrong adapters but i still need some photo’s and info to add to he guide : http://stevenbreuls.com/2014/04/dmx-rs485-wrong-board-fix-by-germandy/
it would be great if you could upload a photo of your mod to help other ppl.
Thanks for this fix, i made a new post with this fix, however i would like some extra photo’s of different mods : http://stevenbreuls.com/2014/04/dmx-rs485-wrong-board-fix-by-germandy/
I bought mine from Aliexpress.com. It must be a little different. When sending it has a blue RX led flashing and it didn’t send a dmx signal right out of the box. The production date was 2013/06/4. Maybe this will help others in the future.
The one on dealextreme seems to work out of the box… i will remove the aliexpress link.
Thanks for your help.
My one is from AliExpress, production date 2013/06/4 – same as Zac’s.
I’d say it’s the production date what makes the difference, not the seller.
I just ordered two from Dealextreme. I’ll let everyone know how that turns out when I get them.
your adapter can now be fixed by following my new guide : http://stevenbreuls.com/2014/04/dmx-rs485-wrong-board-fix-by-germandy/
I tried a different approach. I bought a USB to RS232 converter then an RS232 to RS485 sadly it did not work it cost me about $10-$15
I am now waiting for the delivery from here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-USB-To-RS485-FTDI-Interface-Board-FT232RL-Double-Function-Protection-Module-/200720518972
I hope this will work out of the box or else I am going to buy the real one Lol
Thanks for this tutorial
Let me know if your adapter works out of the box… i bought mine from that link and it worked, however there seem to be different models and some don’t work out of the box. I am writing a guide on how to fix these non-working adapters. i’m also working on a similar guide with a RS485 Ethernet Adapter that’s even cheaper.
did you ever write this?
The guide is online, it took a while but it’s done, still need some info and photo’s from comments to make the guide better.
http://stevenbreuls.com/2014/04/dmx-rs485-wrong-board-fix-by-germandy/
Just got two from Dealextreme and they both work out of the box. Thanks again for this tutorial Steven!
Hi, I bought the RS485 from ebay, connected to computer, red power led illuminates, installed Freestyler and blue led flashes rapidly. The problem I had was my RGBW Par 64 light was wired inverted, so until I swapped the D+ and D- the LED light did not work. Next problem is now trying to make the light work correctly as I don’t have a DMX table for it. When selecting a random fitting in Freestyler some colour changing and strobe occurs but I cannot get proper control of the LED PAR 64.
I have now fixed the problem, I too had to remove pin 2,3 and tie to Vcc. Now works fantastic….thanks everyone.
I cant get this to control my light fixture, I have the Stage ape Phoenix Scanners only 4 Channels I have tried Freestyler, and I have tried a few others, I am trying Q light Controller now but I cant get it to talk to my light I have the scanner set up correctly in the fixture editor…
Gah, This is killing me. I cant seem to figure it oiut.. I have tried it with my Galaxian Sky Laser as well. I cant get no control what so ever..
you may have received a wrong board, the fix can be found here : http://stevenbreuls.com/2014/04/dmx-rs485-wrong-board-fix-by-germandy/
I have lifted the pins DE/RE and still no luck…
Have you tried solution 2 on the “fix” page? if the first does not work… try the second fix. Instead of lifting the DE / RE pins, try to connect them to the 5V VCC pin.
Guys, could you please tell me if this device works with Strand Palette OLE? Thanks!
I really need tomthank you Steven!
This was one of the best/most usefull articles/instructions in the web i could find!
Evenso i could that freakin’ üroblem where u have to lift pin 2 and 3 of the rs485 chip.
But now everything works great and it’s sooo small and don’t even cost me 15€!
Thank u a lot!
Hello Everyone!
I fixed board, but i have a little problem! First chanel mising. Each unit responds from 2 to 512 channel…no first channel!? I tried a second (brand name) interface and everything is OK.
If someone had a similar experience?
Best regards!!
Hi,
I have read all the information and comments with great intrest as I plan to make my own. I just have one question. I have found this product on the internet.
http://uk.farnell.com/ftdi/usb-rs485-we-1800-bt/cable-usb-rs485-serial-converter/dp/1740357?CMP=KNC-GUK-FUK-GEN-KWL-SEPO-FTDI&gclid=CN2zms3R0L4CFUn4wgodTxUABg
Would it be able to be used instead by just connecting a xlr to the 3 correct wires making a neat all in one solution?
Nathan
I have just found this website which also seams to suggest that it would be a viable option.
http://artemis.forumchitchat.com/post/archive-dmx-lighting-6450310
This converter is based on a FTDI chip so it should work just fine.
Has anyone been able to confirm if this controller will work with Artemis bridge simulator? I got the Enttec Open DMX controller, which works great. But I don’t want to spend another $70 for another controller…
if your Enttec Open DMX is working with “Artemis bridge simulator” this device will also work, since it’s almost the same as the Enttec Open DMX
I bought two of the boards from deal extreme sku 901221402. I hope these are the right ones and will work out of the box. am i correct in my selection?
they should work out of the box, however if not… there are fix guides on my website.
Hi,
i got a converter with FTDI chip.. red light is on, and green “rx” light is flashing (so it should be sending signal)…drivers are installed properly, “USB Serial Port(Com 3)” under “Ports (COM & LPT)” and “USB Serial Converter” under “Controller USB (Universal Serial Bus)”; I also tried the dmx test from KMtronic and it said both successfully passed…anyway the light connected doesn’t work (i tried a led bar and a par 56, both not working) .. any suggestion? Thanks
It may be your board, you should tried any of the Fixes? it seems most boards come “not working”. There is also a second guide with an ethernet cable, this dongle seems to work out of the box.
I didn’t try any of the fixes because i thought the converter was working (green light flashing and also the test succeeded) but if you haven’t any other advice i’ll try…
this is normal behavior, the green led flashing is the data from the USB, however this data does not reach the output of the RS485 without the fix 🙂
Applied both the fixes, now it works 🙂 thanks Steven!
Version 2013/06/4 board working if lifting the DE / RE pin from the board… thank you so much!!!!!!!!!
First off, Great Guides, this is perfect for people moving from consoles to PC software. I’m having a problem that I’m not seeing anyone else having. I got the RS485 Converter, I connected the XLR panel connector, using CAT5e cable, fired up QLC, connected my lights, and everything works. I have 2 Chauvet 4Bars, 2 Chauvet 4Plays, and 8 ADJ Mega Par Profiles connected; with a DMX terminator at the end of the chain.
Everything works perfectly, until I open Google Chrome or any DAW software. When I open these programs, the 4Bars and the Mega Pars stop working; but the 4Plays still work fine. When I close said programs, the lights resume functionality.
The DMX signal is outputting, according to the QLC DMX Monitor, and the data light on the RS485 converter, plus the effect lights in the middle of the DMX chain still work. It appears the RGB lights are not getting “something” (in reference to DMX signal) they need when I open other programs.
Any suggestions, ideas, or comments would be great. The hole purpose of me building this is to automate lights to music via MIDI, but if the lights don’t work when the DAW software is open, then I can’t do that.
I’ve tried this on 2 computers and two laptops (All windows 7 Professional, 3 of them x64 and 1 x86). I’ve tried just about every software compatible with the Enttec Open DMX USB, and I have connected each fixture one at a time… Same result.
Thanks in advance!
Very weird problem, have you tried connecting the dmx adapter to a Powered USB hub?
Also try disconnecting all other usb devices and try again…
And are your laptop and lights powered by the same circuit/fuse? different circuits may create interferrence…
Have you tried changing the USB cable? maybe to a cable with ferrite beads on the ends:
Thanks for the response. I have tried all of what you suggested except the ferrite bead isb cable. I will try that when I get back. But everything is on its own circuit. I’ll post back after I’ve tried the usb cable. Thanks again.
Ok, so I tried a couple of usb cables with ferrite beads. The rgb lights still stop responding however now, the single pars will continue with whatever signal it was receiving before opening the other software; and the 4bar will turn off the start flashing all white.
With this consistent change, does that suggest a frequency problem in my signal? But then again, the 4play effects lights are not experiencing an issue. This is weird indeed.
Oh and the same behavior happens with and without the terminator at the end of the chain.
Any new thoughts with this new information?
I’im still thinking of an interference problem, how long are the cables between the rs485-out and the XLR? you can try twisting the data- and data+
i do recognize the white flashing led pars, or fixtures getting random values but this usualy gets fixed when i plug in my usb cable or start my DMX app.
not sure what’s the problem with your setup :s
I twisted the d -/+ cables, but nothing changed. I messed around a little more, just trying different things, and it just throws me off. For example:
The rgb’s stop responding when I open google chrome, but work fine if I open internet explorer.
They stop responding when I open any of my DAW programs, but not when I open some standalone VST programs.
When clicking through folders, they flicker.
So, I am wondering how does the activity on the computer relate to the signal from QLC thru the USB cable, thru the converter, and out the XLR, maintaining enough data integrity for the effects lights to work, but not the rgb’s.
I don’t know much about all of this, I’m going off my programming and troubleshooting knowledge at this point. There is obviously something I’m missing. I’ll keep messing around with it. If I come up with anything, I’ll post back. If you or anyone else can think of something, please let me know.
Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it.
Could be dodgy cable? Microphone cables are not (NOT!?) suitable for DMX. I’ve done tests with a signal generator and oscilloscope to try various cables and some are no good. The frequency is very high (MHz range for a clean square wave).
indeed, to tell the difference between microphone and DMX XLR cable, read the printed text on the cable itself, DMX should say DMX/DATA cable and audio should say something like Microphone/MC. for small setups audio cables seem to work but for long and large setups you definately need Data cable. i usually mark my DMX cables with a small white cable tie at the XLR connectors to keep them spearated from the audio cables.
Thanks for chiming in. I am using DMX cable. I’ve tested their resistance but I don’t have the tools and know to test frequencies as you have. But the cables work just fine when the lights are being controlled by a DMX Console.
what cable did you use to connect the XLR female chassis part to the rs485 adapter?
A standard female xlr panel connector from radio shack: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103444
sorry I misread your question. I used wire from a Cat5e cable, About 2 and a half inches, twisted like you suggested.
would a cable like this work as long as it has the FTDI Chiptset FT232 even though it is a RS232? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Conector-Adaptador-Cable-USB-to-RS232-Modulo-FTDI-Chiptset-FT232-USB-BK-/191263286787?pt=US_Parallel_Serial_PS_2_Cables_Adapters&hash=item2c882e2603
This can work work but no way to tell for sure without testing first, but i think 4$ is worth the try :p,
Would this work?
can’t find FTDI anywhere in the description, the chip must be FTDI, cheaper brands won’t work for DMX.
Hi Steven! I bought the board from Dealextreme. The board worked out of the box, but unfortunately it sends the DMX protocol in a peculiar way. Channel one for example has to be red on my “American DJ” lights, but instead they flicker through a wide range of colors as I change the value of the first channel. I tried the suggested fixes – the board stopped working at all. I noticed thou that the chip on my board is not DS75176B, but a ZT485EEN one. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Sorry to bother you again. After I tried again the second soldering modification the board started working properly! Thank you for this amazing DIY project!
Hello,
I´ll try it with USB to Serial with FTDi Chip. Freestyler sees the adaptor. Now my question, my adaptor has usb and other side a 9 pin connector. Am i right if i try with the pins 2 received Data, 3 Transmit data and pin 5 Signal Ground? or do i have to use other pins?
yes those pins should be the right ones :
Thanks for the fast reply.
But i need to know which 3 pins from Sub D 9 to the XLR Plug.
I think i have to use pin 3, 5 and 7. So i got some signals out. But i can not change any values on my LED Flood 150 from Stairville. It lights up and sometimes it flickers. But no color changing or dimming. and no blackout. the fixture is tested
Now i figured out that i can change some Coulours. If i slide RGB and Master Dimmer. But totally crazy reactions. All Faders change all coulours. in some Positions i have all Coulours, sometimes blue and so on.
I Think there must something be incorrect with the Signal i get out. I No Use the Pins 3, 5, 7. 5 is Gound. If i Turn 3 and 7 no Signal goes out.
If I Use Pin 2 and 3 also no Signal goes out. So maybe i´ve to use other ports or need another piece that ports the 232 to a 485 Signal. But like i Wrote, freestyler sees my USB to Serial. The Workaround with the Software from FTDI is also tried. The Other Workaround with Soldering is not possible because my USB To Serial is a closed Plug.
Maybe you have any Ideas?
Next step… I üu a max485cpa between rs232 and DMX. Now i have dimmer and RGB channels right. But my light always flickers on/off. What might be the broblem?
a link to my wiring: http://fritzing.org/projects/usb-to-dmx-with-usb-to-rs232
Could this be made with a DMX in?
Sorry I haven’t posted back, I’ve been on the road. To recap in a nutshell, the interface works fine until I open google chrome my DAW software. At which point, certain lights stop responding to the DMX signal.
So I’ve tested my interface on an old XP laptop, and low and be hold, it worked perfectly. Unfortunately this doesn’t really solve my problem, because all my other software needs to be ran on windows 7; so I need to figure out why I get this behavior on my Win7 computer and not on my WinXP laptop… Any suggestions would be great.
Thanks.
Great idea! I really was surprised by how cheap you can diy compared to their normal price… But I have a question which is really important for me to me answered: Is it possible to use this interface as a DMX input? I would like to merge my signal with another one…
Thanks in advance and sorry for my weak english!
Yorick
not sure if it will work but there are rs485 adapters that have signal in and output
I think you should only have an rs485 Interface with in and out. normally every interface should have this. ists only the question if the interface has all pins wired.
How do you get the DIY USB connected to QLC+. It will not output to the DMX fixtures. The USB DMX works with Freestyler and connects fine and it sees it in QLC+but it will not output to the DMX light. I have did all the pin moving and pin wiring. How do you get it to flash the light showing the signal is sending in QLC+.
Are you using a Windows or Mac?
I have it working now. I had to go inside and check input/output for the USB FTDI adapter. Now it works like a charm. Thanks. I was trying to use the Freestyler program but it was to complicated. Im using the QLC+. It is much easier and has tons of functions.
Hey, I was wondering if you’ve ever seen a problem with the packets it sends out? What I’m seeing from freestyler is a very short ‘Break’ followed by an exceptionally long Mark-After-Break’, and no Start sequence at all. Seeing that with Freestyler and KMTronic DMX Device tester
have you tried the FT_Prog fix?
I just tried it there. I wasn’t clear on what it’s actually supposed to fix, but it hasn’t made any difference whatever it does.
The problem I’m experiencing seems to be that I have no ‘Break’. My Start frame is also a bit in front of the rest of my frames, and that gap appears to vary slightly between packets.
Here’s a trace of my A + B RS485 lines from the USB device: http://i.stack.imgur.com/zWyAz.jpg
Hey everyone.
I’m having a little problem, everything seems two work fine until I connect more than one lights, then the lights stop working or dim. Separately their work fine even my laser and fog. Dmx channels are set correct. Does anyone have a idea.
Thanks.
Are you Using a terminator? Are you using dmx or mic cables?
i’m not using a terminator, but i used DMX cable throughout my chain.
When using QLC+ how to you get the green light to work as transmitting as it does on Freestyler. For some reason the yellow light flashes but not the green. I was wondering if it was a fix that someone has figured out.
Hi, I’m having a problem using a FTDI board (like this ), I’m sending data from freestyler, Vixen or any other and without to connect the board to my fixture (an arduino getting the signal) when after few seconds the TX led stop flashing (stop sending data). I tried to use on Windows 7 x86 and x64, Windows 8.1 x86 and x64, and XP x86. I don’t use RS485, just the DMX TTL signal on my arduino to dimmer some leds. I also tried to change to an older driver version, but it not solved. Anyone had this problem?
I have a question. On QLC+ how to you control it remotely. I saw how you add the -w or web command line into the target file. It seems to go anywhere with me. Is there another way or how does this way work. Many of the lights I have are turned away from me and I can’t see what is going on. Any suggestions on this matter.
HI, A friend me today tested this out and it worked well with M-PC but the problem we discovered is that the UART an so the RS485 is missing the DMX Start byte which is an all zero byte in front of all Data bytes.
You can solve this problem by using only the DMX Channels 2-512 and keeping Ch1 on 0 allways but is there anyone who knows a better solution?
Do you have a ‘Break’ at the start of your packet? I have a similar issue where what I thought was my break didn’t seem long enough, and the ‘mark after break’ was too long. It turned out that I actually didn’t have a break at all, and what I thought was my break turned out to be my start frame. Still no idea how to resolve this.
Well i think we had a very long break which was still inside the dmx requirements and the followed some space and the data packets starting with the one of the first channel.
However in another measurement we discovered two breaks right after another. Which could be a problem because after the first break a dmx device could think here follows the first data packet with a whole lot of zeroes which pat extremely long and tv it could probably hang up broadside its missing the end of the packet. Or it could reset itself and just ignore the second break.
HI and good day
Have three wall washer DMX connection with XLR-3pin, but this have DMX address write into device, the seller say me i need DMX coder?.
But if possible read DMX address? I think have RMD extensions.
Please Help.
BEST REGARDS and agree
Hi, I can’t get my DMX to work properly. I have an USB to RS485 interface that looks exactly like the one mentioned, except that it doesn’t have a production date. Also, it has a ZT485EEN instead of the 75176, but looking at the datasheet that shouldn’t make much of a difference.
I’m running Mac OS X 10.6.8. on a 2.16 Intel Core Duo MacBook Pro. The interface connected to a TTL DAC48 (http://www.theater-technisch-lab.nl/framda48.htm).
First I tried D-light. It found the interface and the RX light started flickering. However, I did not get any DMX on the DAC48. I tried the soldering fixes (lifted pins 2 and 3, connected both to pin 8) but still no output.
Then I tried MiniStageConsole, which found the interface after I installed the VCP drivers. It gives me some sort of output, but it’s a bit strange: the RX led only goes on when I move a fader. At that moment, the DAC48 also receives DMX but it won’t output the correct value. Actually the voltage out seems pretty random: while moving the fader, voltage output goes from 0 to something between 0 an 10v but it doesn’t stay there, it goes back to 0. Sometimes 0% on the channel fader gives me 100% output, sometimes it’s the other way around.
I can’t get QLC to work, apparently my processor is too old for it. Chameleon gives me an error when trying to load the USB interface.
Any ideas, suggestions?
Thanks in advance,
Xavier
Hi, Great article, I like the style it’s written.
Maybe iyou can also explain how to build a DMX client as well, e.g. a RGB led controller.
Set DMX address with dip-switch and use a channel for each color.
i am “working” on a arduino DMX interface/client for a rgb panel. however it may stil take a while…
Hi! Awesome post!! Unfortunately Deal extreme takes forever to get to us, so I was looking for a local RS485 chip supplier- this is the only thing I could find that was close: http://www.communica.co.za/Catalog/Details/P0984112632
Will it work?
You can try this adapter but I think it won’t work.
Thanks for the reply!! I took your comment and info into conciderarion and finaly found a ftdi chip that is sort of based on rs485, and it seems to be working(dmx picked up by light, just not sure if signal sent is correct) thanks so much!!! Board i used: http://www.communica.co.za/Catalog/Details/P2889365025
Will email finished product when im done and happy!
That is by far the best board i’ve seen for this dmx project, I’m really interested how it turns out and looking forward to seeing your finished adapter.
Good news bad news, good news it works absolutely perfect when I plug a light in and control the light, bad news is as soon as I plug in multiple lights the lights start to behave erratically – I ruled out all cables and eliminated lights as well. Not sure what it is! Any ideas anyone? Going to add a DMX Terminator on Monday to see if that helps. And thanks Steven! I’ll add the photo of finished adapter as soon as I know it works!
John
Aha found the problem! Actual cable of dmx box was just no good, replaced it and viola! Thanks so much for your help steven! Here’s teh final product: https://www.dropbox.com/s/rhg797oykdzpdny/IMG_20141130_000152.jpg?dl=0
Great to hear, i will add your image to the guide.
ok, works perfect with C2 = SLEEP,
Thank you very much
so I finally got to test it with the martin software.
i dont know how but I think I have fried my board 😀
I doesnt flash blue anymore and the PC is not recognizing it.
You might have a fake ftdi chip. They make the driver’s break the board by changing some internal values. You can reset these values but the driver will set them back every time you use it.
If your board was suspiciously cheap that might be a hint it’s fake.
It’s true that FTDI bricks fake chips however these drivers have been removed by windows in october 2014, only installing FTDI drivers from the FTDI’s website may brick your device. Windows drivers will not anymore : http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/14/10/24/1330252/ftdi-removes-driver-from-windows-update-that-bricked-cloned-chips
hi does it work with dashlight
no, dashlight only works with it’s own dmx adapters. wich are very expensive.
First of all its daslight not dash. Secondly don’t use daslight we’ve been using it and it is carp. Some error messages only come in french. Start using M-PC by Martin Professional it’s not as simple as daslight but extremely powerful and works well with this interface. It also works with art net if you are up to building your own art net node with some raspberry pi. You’ll love it.
If you also have some midi controller like the bfc2000 by behringer your show is going to rock.
I’ve been using this for a dance show at my school and it was so much more fun dad stupid daslight.
great to hear, i’ve heard/read many good things about M-PC. I also got the bcf2000 but havn’t had time to explore M-PC yet :'(
You can use a Neutrik NAUSB-W for the USB port, it’s more easy:
http://www.neutrik.com/en/multimedia/usb/nausb-w
First of all, Thank You Steven! Great idea for diy lovers, and dmx users.
Mine board was very identical with yours, except production date.So it wasn’t worked at the first time. It needed only ft-prog modding. Changing the C2 value to Sleep worked. Now I am able to test our lighting equipment without carrying the light mixer.
I will use it as a side staff on stage (theater) lighting when it is necessary. Using with a simple software like DMXstudio64 is enough for me and it is working fine with the adapter…
I have entered the arduino area last week (it is because of you:) Now I am thinking about wireless transmission. What about those parts:
do they work? I have no idea yet.
thanks, i’ve looked at the wireless system… i think it could work but you have to 5v power your dmx receiver from another source (batteries/adapter?)
You may run into problems with the maximum baud rate… the wireless system may not transmit fast enough.
Hi, my interface was working but now it seems to be messed up, the functions in freestyler do not correspond to the functions in the lights. Could you help me?
i will need some more info if you want me to help.
thanks for your answer Steven, i found the problem. My fixture has 4 channels: 1=dimmer, 2=red, 3=green, 4=blue. I don’t know why, but the freestyler is showing the dimmer channel duplicated, so i got 1=dimmer, 2=dimmer, 3=red, 4=green, 5=blue. therefore, my functions are suffering a one channel offset. Do you know how can i correct this?
i’m sorry, i have no idea how that is possible
Without being familiar with freestyler. You can probably manipulate the fixture.
There are usually fixture presets for different device like scanners and moving head.. There is for sure a fixture editor somewhere.
Hi,
I tried it out, works perfectly! I had to reprogram the adapter (setting C2 to sleep# did the job), works like a charm! I use QLC+ on Ubuntu 14.04; I plan to use this to build simple animatronics and light effects for our Halloween displays.
Heya,
I just build the same as explained. But have an issue with QLC on MacOS. Everything works fine with Freestyler on Windows (after the “C2 = SLEEP” fix), so I was guessing that it should work without any other modification with QLC+.
Do I really need to modify the board to get it work on Mac?
Note that QLC+ recognize the board as it prints its serial number.
Thanks for help and thanks for sharing this tutorial! 🙂
you won’t have to modify the board, you have to install another ftdi driver on your mac. there is a guide here : http://stevenbreuls.com/2014/03/fix-ftdi-dmx-interface-arduino-on-osx-10-9-mavericks/
Hi Steven,
So here is the situation:
Windows 10: works perfectly
MAC OS X (10.11.1): does not work. DMX leds don’t blink. I applied the fix you mentioned so now my Apple FTDI driver is disabled. I also installed http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/D2XX.htm
Still no luck… 🙁 Not sure what I should try now… Will update this thread if I find anything.
I restarted my Mac and it sounds like I’m making some progress.
Now the RX LED is blinking (continuously even if nothing is connected).
When I change values in QLC+ the TC LED does not blink at all.
So probably I have another issue here.
Ok. Ignore my previous comment. Everything is working fine now!
So basically here are the steps for future readers:
On MacOS X (El Capitan)
* install D2xx Driver http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/D2XX.htm (read carefully the README file which is included – lot of manual steps in a terminal)
* install D2xxHelper http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/D2XX/MacOSX/D2xxHelper_v2.0.0.pkg
* Reboot
* Install and start QLC+
Everything should be fine. If not, also follow instructions on http://stevenbreuls.com/2014/03/fix-ftdi-dmx-interface-arduino-on-osx-10-9-mavericks/
Best
Great to hear it’s working!
Almost the same problem and the same solution used and working perfectly under OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite!
While Open QLC+, RX Green Led on the board turns on permanently! and works perfectly!
Thanks Steven, David, Massimo and everyone working behind the scenes!
Hello,
i have make also a dmx dongle but i have a error. my dongle work on my bootcamp windows 7 but not on my macintosh hd. what is the problem?
its works whit the driver instal!!
Great to hear it’s working.
Hi Steve. Great tutorial here! I luckily found the ft232rl board in my country and have ordered it one for this project and will receive in two days. Only wondering if it will work with QLC+ on Win7 laptop?
should work just fine with QLC+ 🙂
Received the board yesterday. It did not work out of the box. It has SP485E chip so I jumped across to fix with 2nd solution and it worked!!! It really workrd smoother than usb-dmx box I have before(it was not compatible with QLC+)
Well, will be used on live apllication next week and will let you know again.
Thanks again for the great idea(which save my money lol)
in list for “devices to build and test”. I’ll let you know and thx for the article.
Good Luck 🙂
Hi Steven,
Thanks for the idea. Great. Worked right out of the box with dmxcontrol 2.12. No problem at all.
Hey Steven,
thank you for the great tutorial. I’ve build my own controller using a SPAM tin can. Have a look over here:
http://www.dreiviertelzwoelf.com/werkstatt/schaukasten/usb-dmx-controller/
I’d like to translate your tutorial into German on my website. May I?
Of course with references to your website and mentioning you as the original author.
tim
That is by far the most creative case i’ve seen 🙂 I don’t really like you translating my tutorial even with references since this will cost a lot of visitors/money. i may add a google translate button though.
Hi i have tried everything i can but m,y board isnt even being recognised by windows, i installed the driver linked but i still have the little yellow triangle in device manager saying FT232R USB UART and nothing i do gets it to recognise or install, tried on windows 7 win 7 x64 & win 8.1 please help
hmm, windows should automatically install drivers.. it’s probably a faulty chip.
It could be the case of fake chip where the manufacturer sets wrong USB PID 0x0000 instead of 0x6001. The the official driver won’t install since it does not recognize the board.
In that case head over to http://www.arexx.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2619 and download the CDMv2.10.00__PID_FIX.zip driver and use this driver.
Then use the FT_PROG to reprogram the board with correct PID.
And then it should finally work as expected with official drivers.
I used this process successfully when my PID was zeroed during reprogramming the C2 to #SLEEP.
Hi Steven, So I’ve had a lot of fun with your tutorial, and built the unit using FTDI232 chip and the half duplex transciever as you had in your guide. The dmx dongle works perfectly, but with some lights and with longer chains, I experience flickering with my diy unit, where boards like chauvet obey 70 produce no flicker. I used terminators, right cables etc. so went and did some research and found that Enttec/DMX king uses a little “timing microcontroller” to remove flickering problem. Any idea which microcontroller that might be?? I really do enjoy your tutorial btw!!
I am also having the same problem with bigger universes and chains of lights, I also use all . There is no flicker when one light fixture receives dmx (the larger chain is still plugged in, just one fixture has values to it). Once I have dmx values to all channels the flicker happens. Didn’t know if a resistor would help, or there being a microcontroller to have a clock in it to help flicker. Thanks for the awesome project and the help that you have already provided up to this point.
hmm, there are a lot of different fixes available in this post and it’s comments, maybe you could find a sollution there.
Amazing tutorial, loved it and have bought everything to make it, I will let you know how I get on. One question, could this be used to control multiple universes? Or am I right in thinking it would need an additional controller for this?
Kyle
you can only send 1 universe per device, however it should be possible to use multiple usb adapters for different universes with the right software of course.
Hi!
Thank you for this tutorial/article!
I made an adapter, but I have a problem, and I don’t know why is thios happening. I’ve bought a converter from e-bay similar as in the article.
The issue I have is I that the adapter stop working after a time. Sometimes it works for 15-20 minutes, but most of the time it’s only 5-10 seconds. While it’s working it controls the lights fine with freestyler and olc+ too, and the kmtronic dmx test program show that it’s fgood too.
But after a time, the RX led stops flashing, and the controlling doesn’t works after that. The freestyler and kmtronic test sw even freeze, and only force close helps (qlc+ is running after this fine, but can’t send control commands to lights). If I unplug from the usb and reconnect again, it’s starts working again for a random time. It does this even without a dmx cable attached. I’ve tried several different usb cables, uninstalled/reinstalled drivers without any improvements.
I’ve tried the software fix method mentioned in another article setting C2 to SLEEP#, and even trying to change the usb string, but it seems to me, that the programming isn’t working, because when I reconnect the adapter and start the flashing software again, it shows the original values everywhere.
Maybe my adapter is bad, having malfunctioning components on it?
The chips on it are this:
FTDI 1412-G
BB90B572
FT232RL
SP485EE
1435L
B95770
Any tips?
hmm, weird… could you disconnect the xlr connector & try again, maybe it is shorting?
Yes I tried that, it does this with only the USB plugged in and nothing else connected. I’m thinking about doing the other fix, lifting the 2nd and 3rd legs on the SP485EE. I have some soldering skills, but I have never done smd yet…
Do you think I should try that fix too, or should I try some other things before (there’s a chance I will screw up the soldering thing)?
these fixes will enable output… you should only try these if there is no output at all. in your case it randomly stops working so it may be a faulty device but you should at least try other computers/drivers… can you post a link to the device you bought?
I’ve tried it on a notebook with Windows 7 64 bit and a desktop computer with Windows 8.1
Today evening I can try it on a desktop comp with Windows XP too. I’ve only tried the drivers included in windows, and then the driver downloaded from ftdichip.com. Are there other drivers around?
I’ve bought this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/181622648315
It’s not a really expensive device, only the time is a factor, it took about 3 weeks to arrive, so if I can make the one I have work somehow, I don’t have to wait weeks for a replacement.
should work then… i would say the chip is faulty., maybe something in your dmx chain shorted & damaged the device or it just came broken. i cannot help you any further i’m afraid
.
I am having similar issues on with a board recently purchased from DealExtreme. Did “solution 1” to get it to output DMX data and it will work for 20 seconds to several minutes before all processing stops. Running on Windows and not seeing errors in the event log. Tried with several different computers, so will look to purchase from a different source and see if it is just a bad fake.
you should read comments, there are solutions for this problem
I read through all the comments, but my apologies if I missing something in them about what specifically fixes the random stop issue. The whole soldering/chip thing is really new to me and I may just be missing it. I broke one of the tabs on the chip when I was lifting the pin so I cant try “option 2” and it wouldn’t take the reprogramming so I am ordering a couple others to see what happens with them.
Either way, thanks for the time spent on this and sharing with the group. Learning a whole bunch fast.
If your device stops “randomly” after a few minutes, there’s a good chance that you have more than 1 driver enabled at the same time. At any time, there can be only 1 driver driving the RS485 bus, and all other units shall be in receive mode with their driver disabled !
Failing to do so causes the drivers to enter current limit protection, affectively stopping the communication.
Check the datasheet of the RS485 chip for the “enable” input and make sure it is set to disabled for all units except the one connected to the computer.
Good luck!
Hans
Thanks for the help! will test this and eventually add to the guide.
Thank you for your help!
I will try with some other (older) drivers, and on a win xp computer, maybe I can make it work. If I cannot succeed, then I will order 2-3 other ones, they’re not that expensive, and maybe I’ll get lucky and find a working one if I order more 🙂
ok, btw still cheaper then enttec’s :p
Hello, I wonder if this board works
http://www.ebay.com/itm/6Pin-USB-2-0-to-TTL-UART-Module-Serial-Converter-CP2102-STC-Replace-Ft232-Module-/400565980256?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d4397cc60
, and thank you very much for the tutorial
this board will NOT work since the chip is not a FTDI chip, the title is misleading. the chip on this board will work the same as a FTDI FT232 however the chip used for this board is from another brand meaning it will NOT work for sending DMX.
Having exactly same problem here with same devices, please report if any success!
I plugged the usb to rs485 in my computer with windows 7. this works but sometime the signal is gone and i don’t have a flashing green light on the converter.
I tryed the converter on 2 laptops one with windows 7 and one with windows 8. On the laptop with windows 8 the converter don’t work. The green led flash short on the laptop with windows 7 as i start freestyler. freestyler says “open failed”. Can i download drivers for windows 8? The driver on the laptop is the driver from the Enttec site.
I hope you can help me.
Julian
you should always first try the default windows driver, if those are not working you should download ftdi drivers from enttec or the ftdi website.
Hi steven, worked with this interface? http://www.superrobotica.com/S310435.htm
Thank you.
this is indeed a FTDI version of the RS485 adapter however this is a different chip package/version, i cannot tell if it will work but i would advice to keep looking for something that has the FT232RL chip (however it may work if it’s just a different package of the IC but same internals). (Ebay is a very good&cheap place to buy rs485 adapters)
But the chips is FT322RQ , is more advanced.
you can try.. could work indeed
Steven , how about this: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9822
this one Should work
Hi steven, you recommend in terms of reliability and security ? This post or the post ethernet cable.
Thank you.
i would recommend this post 🙂
Hi there i want to translate this article for my web ( with link on your oreginal) + i want to translate a pages with solving a problem… so I ask you for premision of you for that.. because it will be realy usefull…
what language will you translate to, what articles do you want to translate & what website will it be posted? (concerned about loss of visitors)
I will translate it to Czech language( i will get a link on start of article for those who speek english so you will lose maybe a little potencional visitors but most of them will do not know what are you writing about)
I will translate just this article USB-DMX-DIY ( maybe i will found something else usefull for my page…. then i will write to you again)
I will use it for site wich will be focuset on free lyric projection SW and free light controling SW (for noobs and that people who are not good in english)…. and it will be preaty usefull include some cheap HW solution for DMX ….. name is in disputes because it is not only mine page. sorry i can give you more info because now i do not know more now.
you have my permission 🙂
hi there, nice project.
one hint for mac users: QLC+ on OSX 10.8 or 10.7 will only work with Driver version V 2.2.16. The last one from ftdi is 2.2.18 and doesn’t work properly. Since Osx 10.9 uses his own driver, sometimes using an old ftdi driver will help.
indeed, a guide on how to load the old driver : http://stevenbreuls.com/2014/03/fix-ftdi-dmx-interface-arduino-on-osx-10-9-mavericks/
I just realized a very weird thing – when using FTPROG for changing the PID (see my earlier comment above: http://stevenbreuls.com/2013/05/diy-usb-dmx-dongle-interface-for-under-10/#comment-3004), the new PID persists for only one “power cycle” of the device :-O.
I.e.
– connect device with PID 0x0000 (and let the driver install using the modified INF from the link in my earlier comment… check in Windows Device Manager that the PID is really 0000)
– run FTPROG, change the PID to 0x6001 (FTDI default) and program the device (Ctrl-P in FTPROG)
– exit FTPROG
– disconnect the device
– reconnect the device (and let it install the driver again, this time for the correct PID 0x6001… check again in Device Manager that the PID changed)
– disconnect the device
– reconnect the device… and see that it installs again the PID 0 driver and that it has PID 0000 in Device Manager again… :-O
Anyone sees any reasonable explanation for that?
Does it run hot? have installed it in a cardboard box, Dont want it to catch fire
board doesn’t get hot at all, cardboard shouldn’t be a problem.
Hello I’m in need of help
I followed the tutorial and everything is working perfect, I love how easy is to control my lights now, there is one problem that I found. When using the usb device and connecting my computer to my power speakers a annoying noise comes through the speakers. It sounds like a ground noise, I’ve tried using a DI box to cut the ground noise from my computer to the speaker but the noise still passes thru. Once I disconcert the usb cable the noise stops. Is there any way of solving this ?
hmm, never heard that problem before… you can try plugging your laptop in another breaker different than the powered speaker’s. I once fixed this by plugging in my laptop in a ungrounded plug, not the safest thing to do but it was my only solution.
When I tried my usb-dmx-dongle for the first time, Win7 installed the drivers automatically and told me that it is ready for use (it was recognized as COM port). In Freestyler I could choose the dongle as well and the green LED flashed. I was happy.
One day later I wanted to try Freestyler with the dongle but it was not recognized (only red LED). Win7 wanted to install the drivers again an told me after some seconds that there is no suitable driver. In the hardware manager the dongle is listed under “other devices”, is called “FT232R USB UART” and marked with a yellow triangle (driver not installed). What goes wrong? Please help me…
That sounds similar to the problem I described on 3rd May (see above) – can you check in the properties of the “other device” if it possibly shows the PID as 0x0000?
I got the solution, a guide will be available shortly
Evzen, indeed it seems to be the same problem:
FTDIBUS\COMPORT&VID_0403&PID_0000
The modded driver seems to work.
indeed, this is the windows driver bricking your device by changing the PID to 0000, i will add a guide on how to fix this soon.
Hi Everyone! Anyone here experienced unable to program or change values in their device using FT Prog? What is your solution?
I am trying to change Product Name and doing the Wrong Board Fix.
check back in a few days, a guide will be online shortly
Thank you very much for sharing this info. Saved me a lot of money and it works like a charm. Combined with QLC + this is a winner!
Not working, tried all the fixes. when i start a software a green led start to flicker, but i have no output signal.
the chip editing is not working, i will try the second type of controler
new guide will be online in a few days
Great project. Thanks for taking the time to do such a great job with documenting the steps. It works great!
This one will work, right?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Serial-converter-module-adapter-interface-FTDI-FT232RL75176-USB2-0-to-RS485-TTL-/381028665833?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58b71409e9
Still trying to decide if I want to do this or the Ethernet version… I have a UDMX dongle that works on Windows 7 32bit, but it doesn’t have a signed driver for 64 bit, so I need a new adapter
Yes indeed, that chip will work. Depending on the model you receive you may need to do a fix but both devices should just work fine.
Hi Brandon, just a warning, I had to fix that exact board with the solder fix and even then, the device won’t accept the programming. I’ll let you know if I find a fix (unless you’ve figured it out, Steven?)
Soldering fix still fixes all problems and is still the best way to fix your DMX adapter, i found out fake chips don’t allow programming anymore to prevent FTDI bricking them, meaning we can’t edit the config anymore. :'( … all blame the big bad FTDI company.
Which board did you receive? My main board is TF232RL with the second being SP485EE. Did you get it working? If so, via what method?
Well the soldering mod will definitely work, the ftprog method got blocked by FTDI
That’s… unfortunate but acceptable, beats the bricking I guess and it keeps older chips running. I’m going to try this guy out:
http://www.ftdichip.com/Products/Cables/USBRS485.htm
(mouser: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/FTDI/USB-RS485-PCBA/?qs=nE%2FgAoToukGMda7ylg%252b%252b1A%3D%3D)
Should work just fine i think, could you report back if you tried the chip? Thanks!
Thanks Steven. My device has arrived, Im ready to try, put the wires and pray so this can work. I will keep you inform. Best regards from Mexico
Good Luck 🙂
Would it be possible to change this so it could receive dmx data instead of sending it – thanks
Could work if you find a RS485 Adapter that has out&in terminals, however I don’t think there is any software allowing DMX input via RS485. I once used an arduino to read DMX signals…
DMX Shield : http://skpang.co.uk/catalog/arduino-dmx-shield-p-663.html
DMX Libraries are available, I once wrote a program that stored all values to SD-card(record whole show) but lost the code :s.. it’s stil programmed in my arduino tho.
Hello Steven,
Thanks a lot for this great DIY tutorial.
I’ve just received my FTDI and XLR’s from DX.com
When i connect the device to my Ubuntu Linux laptop and run QLCplus, the device is recognized. QLC calls it FT232R USB UART and says ‘Device is functioning properly’
But it also says ‘no input compatibility’ (in Dutch ‘Geen input ondersteuning’)
When i try to assign the device to a universe, I get the following message:
Error occurred while opening the selected device line. Possible caused by a incorrect system configuration or no compatible input/output mode.
Am i doing something wrong?
When I connect the device to a Windows-pc with Freestyler, the green LED starts blinking as soon as I select the device.
Thanks for your help!
Hmm, haven’t tested the device on ubuntu yet, QLC should definitely support this device. maybe a driver issue? I’m sorry I cannot help. However the device seems to work in windows.
I bought this board but now I think I might have got the wrong one. I don’t think this one has a FTDI chip.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/301353280112?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&
Here’s a close up photo of the chips it has:
http://i.imgur.com/Bh7TZhI.jpg
It was detected by Windows 7 as “USB-SERIAL CH340 (COM13)”. I also installed the ftdichip D2XX driver, but in FreeStyler it says “No USB -> DMX found”.
Do I need to buy a different one?
this device is not based on a FTDI chip, It will not work for sending DMX, I’m sorry. This adapter is based on a MAXIM MAX485
Hi Steven. I looked through the replies here and I couldn’t find any with my issue. On the dongle I bought, I found that it has both the FTDI and the MAX485 chip. It doesn’t transmit. I tried it on both QLC+ and Freestyler and it shows up on both, but no data is sent. Should I try the pin-shorting fix or just buy a new dongle? Thanks in advance.
definitely try all solutions before buying a new board, most ppl got their board working after doing a soldering fix… fixes : http://stevenbreuls.com/2014/04/dmx-rs485-wrong-board-fix/
Ok, thanks for confirming. I should have read the notes and comments here a bit more carefully before buying. Time to shop again! Once I get the right board I’m going to 3d print a little enclosure.
Thank you for your great resources Steven. Much appreciated.
I’m sorry :s however I’m very interested in your 3D printed enclosure, you may always send me a photo if your build is done 🙂
I bought a different board, this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281366955716?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&
but it seems to have a counterfeit FTDI chip and now it’s bricked! Bad luck again, haha. I’ve just sent a message to the ebay seller to see what he says about this.
This was my the little test box I designed before even getting the board.
http://i.imgur.com/wybaFhk.jpg
The inside dimensions will need to be slightly adjusted for the size of the board I end up using. #6-32″ bolts will be used to hold it shut. Originally I was going to have a wire running out each end (to a USB and a DMX plug), but since the board has the USB type B connection on one end I’m going to adjust the case to work with that so the next version will look more like this:
http://i.imgur.com/1t43kg6.jpg
Great design, I’m sorry you bricked your device, there are multiple ways to unbrick a “fake” ftdi device.. i am also working on a guide but i cannot seem to brick my devices manually so it’s very difficult to make a guide without having to unbrick a device myself
Just got mine and set it up. My lights are going crazy. WIndows recognized it and installed the Enttec driver fine and Freestyler recognizes it.
But I plug my scanner in and it starts twitching, no matter what I do. Unplug DMX and it’s fine. Red light is on and the green lights blinking. The chip says FDTI on it.
First try with only 1 fixture, i would recommend a simple par-can, then you can add fixtures to you chain until you find the fixture that corrupts the dmx signal, or you could try using a dmx
terminator
hi
i need Help, it doent work what can i do, can you work on my pc and see what im doing wrong
at least try to explain your problem, i will not take over your pc (if i have to take over everyones pc who cant read… i would have to quit my job). try to explain your problem and i will try to fix it by commenting.
Ok. i have done everythig that you say but when i plug the dmx, doenst work and the testing program dont find. the only light tha it shows is blue
open your pc’s device manager… maybe the driver is not installed.. can you post the name of the device? you can find the name by removing and plugging it in again, you can then see what device gets removed and added to the device manager.
the name is FT232R USB UART, i’ve already install the driver
can you post a link to the device you bought? when you try using freestyler dmx, you can”t select a output device?
i bought this;
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200720518972?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
And intal all the driver tha you say on the blog
on freestyle i chose Enttec open DMX and he says No USB->DMX found
ok, this is definitely the right device… could you try another computer with only using the windows driver? can you post the PID of the device, the pid can be found by clicking properties on the device in device manager then :
it shows
USB\VID_040E&PID_0000&REV_0600
USB\VID_0403&PID_0000
There is your problem, the PID is 0000 and should be 6001… your device has been bricked by the original FTDI Driver… you should look on the internet for a ftdi unbricking guide… I started creating a unbricking guide but i cannot seem to brick my own device… did you install the driver from the ftdi website or are you using the windows driver?
I THINK BOUTH
hi
know i shows on my pc and freestyler see it but when i plug one led par do strob efect, the sane apen when i run the dmx tester
i did what dis video says
you probably should go with the soldering fix posted in this article, some boards need this fix to send dmx
sir i bought a usb to rs485 here in the phil the thing is there are only 2 terminal positive and negative only there are no ground terminal
could you post a link with a close-up photo of the board? then I can see if it will work or won’t work. thx
I could fix the PID of my device to 6001. Unfortunately the connected RGB-Lamp does not show any reaction.
I am afraid it is too difficult for me.
hmm, it should work. there are 2 fixes available for devices not sending dmx out of the box.. you should try the soldering fix.
is ch340 chips will work
ch340 chips don’t work as far as i know, but you can always give it a try.
Is it possible to add an activity led indicator to the enclosure ? Where can it be connected ?
Thanks !
I’m not that much into electronics but I guess this link will get you started :
http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=12216.0
Thanks !
Finally I’ve unsoldered the small led on the circuit, and I replace it with mine.
Nice, could you upload a picture of your dmx adapter?
Yes ! I’ts an Open Lighting Architecture (OLA) Node, built with on Raspberry Pi and eight USB to Serial FDTI.
Wow!!, that is definitely the best usage for these DMX adapters i’ve seen, case looks very professional and sturdy.
Thanks !
A friend who have a CNC Router help me to do the holes on the enclosure.
It’s a photo with the enclosure opened up.
Thanks you for your post because all came from here ;).
No problem but you are taking it to another level :p what tool are you using on your RPi to “convert” OLA to USB-DMX? Was interested in building the same (smaller) but gave up the search 🙂
The reply for your question: ” what tool are you using on your RPi to “convert” OLA to USB-DMX?”
OLA is a soft which convert network dmx protocols (ArtNet, Kinet, Shownet, sAcn…) to dmx. There are different plugins: for Enttec interfaces, to OSC and there is a plug for FTDI Serial Interfaces.
So you can use a lighting console (GrandMa …) or software (QLC+ or Chamsys MagicQ to send dmx on the network, the node convert it to DMX.
For more infos: https://www.openlighting.org/ola/tutorials/ola-on-raspberry-pi/
Thanks! I found a way to run/send RGB “ambilight” over ArtNet but wasn’t able to convert it to DMX but this will get me started..thanks again!
I did fix No 1 (C2>SLEEP#) again (after setting PID to 6001) and now it works perfectly. Thank you!
The item I bought is this one (when I bought, it was half the price): http://www.ebay.com/itm/250955236480
Great to hear fix #1 still works after unbricking your device, I wasn’t sure it would work anymore
I have problem with qlc i can set a 50hz it is autoset on 30hz is there way how to change it? ( also it say often that timeing is bad) is it problem or not? ( few seting in qlc http://prntscr.com/7qkyei ) dmx tester look ok…. ps i can chack it if it is ok ! 🙁 i will coonect it soon but not now
also qlc+ often freze out(after rx diode stop flashing)
and i proofed that is not problem of qlc+… also dmx tester fall of after 15 minutes does this mean i have to use one of your fixs?
same hapen in freestyler…but maybe it is beause it is not conected or long (2meter) usb. i checked all values in fixes( c2 does not stay at sleep) there is no shortout just nothing… i have no other posibilites. any ideas?
hmm, there are 2 fixes available, have you tried any? also the internal wiring from the board to the DMX plug should be as short as possible and try twisting the data- and data+ cables. Also first try with only 1 fixture in your DMX chain, if that works try adding more fixtures. i’m using freestyler @ 50hz and it works just fine…
it is wierd i tried to use fixes … shortet jumer 5v and tx and eeprom… but both (eeprom does not change) does not work… it work for few minutes ( with a lot of fixtures) and then stop…. it is problem of chip(a clone of it)… it freze out(somehow) but when i reset chip(by conectig 4rd and 5th pin of ft232rl chip and qlc+ start responding again and after reassuming output start working again
P.s. i bought it from ebay(wich you have here. Maybe seller give me software to change c2 to sleep and it is true abot driver killing http://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/ftdi-driver-kills-fake-ftdi-ft232/
hmm, the chip killer driver is real indeed, however the fake chip producers found a way to block this driver from bricking a fake device by blocking access to the FTDI chip settings. this also disables c2 sleep mod i think but not shure
yes it is real (and it realy disable c2 sleep mod ( be sure) but maybe they will make new driver to screw your day(and stop it working in midle of tx) … i can try another driwer ( now i am trying 2.8.30 for win 8.1(still it is dogy
i also try to do some setings in driver set flow control on hardvare or xon/xoff not much help ( in stability)
Maybe it is just faluting chip (because on one try it hold over 1 hour on deflaut setings and newest driver. until i pluged of (with at least 12 ch )
it is wierd
ps. Do you you mean a lifting or shorting jumpers is not same like doing it on that chip? ( i look on traces and they hopefully go to 5v and TX jumper)
lifting/shorting the pin are 2 different solutions, guide can be found here : http://stevenbreuls.com/2014/04/dmx-rs485-wrong-board-fix/
this should fix all problems with your board however it’s weird that your board works for random times.
I did test on linux ( in terminal) same result.. but now i was able “detect ” what hapen after freezeing out of rs485 …. and that was brutal data coruption on eeprom ( instead serial number was a lot of bullshit.) so that is a problem 🙁
can you recomend me a fully working board(on win 8.1and qlc+) around 10 usd?
ok, so it’s your board thats the problem. I have a second guide creating a DMX adapter from a USB->RS485(RJ45), or you could try ordering a new board and do the “pin lifting” directly without trying ftprog.
just to be 100% corect— when i restart chip it work again(for random time… but in linux qlc+ does not freze out that much and that is what i see
and sorry my stupid “typo” i mean in virtual instead terminal (sorry 🙁 )
Hallo Steven,
A while ago I bought a USB to RS485 converter from ebay via your link. When the green light converter which was flash but who went off again after a short time. Now I have the USB to RS485 converter ordered Extreme (via your link) Deal, I still downloading certain drivers (or something else) that I connect the converter?
I hope that it will work with this converter.
Een poos geleden heb ik de USB naar RS485 converter gekocht van ebay via jouw link. Bij die converter ging het groene lampje knipperen maar die ging na een korte tijd weer uit. Nu heb ik de USB naar RS485 converter(ook via jouw link) van Deal Extreme besteld, moet ik nog bepaalde drivers downloaden(of iets anders doen) voor dat ik de converter aansluit?
Ik hoop dat het met deze converter wel gaat werken.
What is the name of the device under device manager (apparaatbeheer)? can you select the device in freestyler dmx or any other software?
In device manager i have: ”USB serial converter” and ”USB serial port (COM3)”.
In Freestyler i can select the device, but after 3 seconds the green light goes off.
Have you done any fixes to your device, there are 2/3 fixes available on my website… first you should try the ftprog fix, if this does not work you should try the “soldering” fix
I have done the ftprog and lifting the 2 pins, that doesn’t help. I am gonna try the last fix this evening.
Solution 2 doesn’t work also.
have you tried another computer?
Yes, i tried 3 computers.
hmm, maybe you just got a faulty board
Hey, because this is a simple unbuffered interface, i would like to know what specs the pc has to have. would 2-4gb ram and an i3 or an i5 work?
greetings
(sry for my bad english :D)
you should not be concerned about pc specs, raspberry pi’s can send dmx(even 8 interfaces at the same time), i also once ran dmx of a 1.1ghz laptop so no worries with freestyler :p
okay, just wanted to be sure ^^
thanks for the quick reply
Hi Steven, Thanks for the tutorial! I’ve connected the chip and i see this in QLC+ running on a mac.. .The chip has one red LED lit. I have also disabled the driver in mavericks using the Driver Control tool. My fixtures aren’t receiving a signal from the chip, do you have an idea of what could be wrong? Thanks in advance
download jv lighting control free from the mac store and test again, please report if any fixtures react to jv lighting control. Thanks
Thanks Steven. I’ve downloaded it but still no luck it says DmxStatus: Offline.
Tell a lie, it now recognises the usb adapter but the fixtures aren’t responding..
in jv lighting control make sure to disable “B.O(blackoug)” and drag the “master” fader to 100% and try again.
Hi Steven,
Thank you for this awesome tutorial.
I had problems getting my interface to work. tried a lot. nothing seemed to work. Left it for a few months, then today i came across this tutorial and it’s very simple but it worked!
Maybe it was just my unknowing that made this mistake, but who knows it might help others.
Thanks for you site.
Greetings JAsper
Thanks for the reply, I didn’t know about this solution. I will add the link to the guide. Thanks!
Hi steven i bought this one and is working…. http://www.ebay.com/itm/200969195861?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
and i see a curios thing there is two shorded pins (as i remember i try to short some pins to get continuos work. maybe that was that case that was working for me)
and i ataching a diagram ( be careful of that hole a lot of time is leters in other orientacion then on diagram ( you can test it by shorting reset and vcc) so maybe this is a another fix( for those wich get it work for few minutes and then it fail) http://prntscr.com/7yvfmb
Ps a AGDD+test pin are conected to maing ground ( GDN + PWR Led (a GDN side)
Hopefuly this will help
Great find!! I will add this as an extra solution to this tutorial and see if there are others confirming this fix working.
hopefuly it will be confirmed i am still not conetced to lights ( i do it for someone ) it seem to working rx diode flash (and if i conect headphones into output i am able to hear signal) so it should work for many hours but acuracy of system timer is bad(as qlc+ say)
indeed i hope more peoples do, please report back if you tested with some light fixtures.
i will …. in september
just a quit report…. it seem randomly unstable….. but it seem oposit to previous model…. ( like once working for few minu and most case it is workink four hours)
ps please chceck if your chip have same pin shorted…. it still could be a potencial fix but it is maybe on all boards…… as most sucesfull fix i recomend ask ebay seller for refund and buy a oreginal ftdi chip unsolder a fake one with heat gut ( a stronger hair fan ) but people should protect plastic jumpers with some Alu-foil and that solder oreginal…. plus try a ft-prog after that
Better chceck that is absolutly working will be in september but i mean it is ok…. i sendig some dmx values into… nothing http://prntscr.com/86wfxd and it seem stable
Pepe
I am just confirming that is perfectly working wiith 2 led par
Great to hear, i will add this solution to my guide. Thanks!
can this possible ? can we make something like bellow mentioned?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SD512-DMX-USB-dongle-DMX-interface-Martin-Light-jockey-DasLight-Sunlite-grandMa-/111385619651?nma=true&si=0ZeomdRY0L%252FRD4u154BtD8QGla8%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
No, this device is to advanced to build yourself, This device also uses a special protocol to communicate with a PC (daslight…)
Hello, I bought the converter from the first link (eBay). When I plug it into my computer, a red power LED lights up. When I check the device manager, the device is recognized. When I open freestyler, under Entec Open DMX, I can only select a device named ‘Fault’ and when I do that the RX LED starts flashing. I can’t currently test with a light fixture but because of the ‘Fault’ message I doubt if things will work. Is this a common error? I searched through the comments fast and I haven’t found anything similar.
Very nice project, but very very annoying that you never know if you’re getting a working chip when you order it ,but that’s ofcourse not your fault! So thanks for sharing this 🙂
you could try on another pc first or using other software, haven’t heard of freestyler showing “fault” as a device yet :s
Ok, so I tried to look into the device using FT_Prog. One thing I found was that there was no serial number, it only said: Auto-generate. I tried to change the name of the device to USB -> DMX Interface to see if that would work out. I then reconnected the device and checked, the name hadn’t changed even when the programming was finished according to FT_Prog. But anyway, I saw that there now was a serial number given and tried another time with freestyler, where I can now select the right device without a problem.
I don’t know what happened, but the problems are fixed for now. It seems I can’t change the name but that’s not really a problem. I will try to get my hands on some fixtures asap and hope that from there on everything works fine.
Great to hear it’s working, i guess you got a fake ftdi chip that was updated/fixed to prevent being bricked with original ftdi drivers.
So I finally got my hand on a pair of scanners. First tries result in nothing…
I tried to FT_Prog the device but I can’t change the C2 pin to sleep, I guess
I won’t be able to change anything to my chip. I’m going to try soldering now.
One thing that concerns me is when freestyler is booted up, the RX-led starts
flashing, that doesn’t seem right, as signals should be sent and not received.
What does your device do when it’s used? Any special LEDs flashing, and the RX?
there is an image in the post showing the device in use. Does freestyler find your adapter?
Sorry for my late answer! Yes, FreeStyler found my adapter from the very beginning. I had to lift the DE/RE pins from the board and now it WORKS! As soon as FreeStyler opens up, the green RX led starts flashing and I have control over my lights!
Will send you a picture when I built it into a box. I am also thinking about upgrading the device by adding an extra PCB with optocouplers to electrically isolate the USB/RS458 board from the actual fixtures and add a second DMX-out plug so I can run 2 different DMX-lines without having to use an seperate dMX-splitter.
Any thoughts on the schematic?
Hello, first of all great to hear your adapter is working. secondly adding optocouplers is a very neat extra protection feature however i’m more interested in the DMX splitter schematic. The schematic very clear and I’m interested in hearing your progress if you decide to build the splitter.
I build it just the way it is explained in this article and it works. Thanks mate.
Hi, I was just wondering… I need this hack quite fast and I was wondering if you guys knew if the adapter I enclosed in the link is a good one. It says FT232RL and as I’m not a real techie I don’t know if the RL is good or bad news. Also, in the description it says compatible with windows 7 max, does that actually matter? Cause I use windows 8.1
http://www.banggood.com/USB-To-RS485-TTL-Serial-Converter-Adapter-FTDI-Interface-FT232RL-75176-p-961537.html
Thanks in advance!!
the compatibility does not matter, the link you posted is also the right device. keep in mind i cannot tell if or what fix you will need.
Hi Steven , thank you for teaching this. The device is working but not as expected . It feel like not stable, while i send a dmx signal with value more than 124 (red colour) to my LED light it will effect the green colour which at the next channel to flash for a while , and if i ask me LED to strobe it wont hit its maximum speed. anyway to increase the stability ?
you can try freestyler.. you can lower the “cycles per second” value… by default (correct my if i”m wrong) the 512bytes are send 50times per second, you can lower this value in freestyler to 20.. could you try that and report back? thanks
i’ve lower down the refresh rate to 20 and tried the solution which short pin 26 and 25 of the ftdi IC both doesnt work for me . 🙁
While value of channel 5 (RED on my led par can)changing it effect channel 6
while value of channel 6 (Green on my led par can) changing it effect channel 7
while value of channel 7 (Blue on my led par can) changing it effect channel 8 (white)
The value of 124 is the brightest for R and G and B. Value lower than 124 is working normally , after 124 it might trigger the other channel as i mentioned above , and the brightness is darker.
Channel 2 (strobe on my led par can) no matter what value i put it wont strobe as fast as i expected , i assume 124 be the highest value but it also doesnt work as expected.
I’m sorry to hear, have you twisted the data- and data+ wires from your board to your xlr, it may be interferrence related but not sure. could you try and see if it works any better?
my device is working on pin2-Data- , pin3-Data+ , pin1-GND. But i’ve tried to swap the wire and also twisted it but both not working. i saw a solution that lifting pin 2 and 3 of the ic 485 and short to vcc but i haven try yet hope that it work.
Thank you so much for ur swift respond.
I hope you get it working after the last fix. in most cases one of the fixes will do the trick
Hi! The article is excellent, thank you very much !!!
I have the following question: On my mac “JV Lightning DmxControl” sees the device up and running with it, but other programs refuse to work (QLS +, DMXis, MagiqQ.) On windows in the “Freestyler” work simple instruments (ParLed) but moving heads – no ( only responds to pan and tilt). On mac “JV Lighting” works with ParLed and moving their heads , but not enough for me 24 channels ( ( ( Please help !
hmm, weird but your device is sending dmx for sure.. you could try lowering the refresh ratio in freestyler’s settings(where you select Enttec Open DMX) and try again, you could also try twisting the Data+ and Data- wires to prevent interference.
Bro, everything is fine ! I’m just an idiot , I did not look all fixes in advance. thanks bro. Everything is working!!!
what fixes did you apply?
“changing the C2 to “SLEEP#” fixes the problem”
Dear Steven, awesome post. I’ve bought the same board as you and I can get it working but not for long…
When I plug in the device its lighting up the green power led and rapidly flashing the RX led (like its supposed to). I can control my lights without any problem with QLC+. But after a few (random) seconds the RX stops flashing and I lose all of my control of my lights. After a few seconds the RX lights begins to light up again and I regain my control of my lights.
Some background information:
Tested on Mac, Yosemite and on Windows 10 (via bootcamp on my mac)
Using QLC+ 4.10.1 (on Yosemite and windows 10).
On Yosemite:
I’ve disabled the Apple FTDI driver (via the solution on this page) and downloaden the driver from the FTDI-website. QLC+ says that the device works correctly and my signal is GOOD.
On Windows 10:
I’ve installed the (automatic) driver from windows when i plugged the device in for the first time. I tried it but QLC+ said: patch widget to universe. Then i’ve installed the driver from the FTDI website, and it worked (for a few seconds). QLC+ said: connection is GOOD.
Every time I reconnect the device to my computer its works (RX light flashing) for a few seconds and loses connection (RX light not lighting).
It also seams the case with a FTDI breakout like this one. I’ve tested this on Yosemite as wel as Windows 10. ).
It was fairly cheap (4 euro’s) and i think this is also a fake FTDI chip.
I’ve read this entire blog and found out that ‘ZOOL’ on 4 april 2015 had the same problem: the connection shuts down after a few seconds You suggested that the board was broken (of a chip malfunction). But I doubt it because the same thing happens with my FTDI breakout. Sadly he has not responded that his new board have worked. (that it was indeed a chip malfunction).
Also Pepe wrote about this (I am Dutch and had trouble reading his post). He noted that de TEST and AGND pin are shorted. (Maybe it is know) I’ve read the datasheet of the FTDI chip and thats the way its supposed to be (for normale operation). I’ve checked 4 different FTDI chips and all of then have this.
Pepe is suggesting to short the RESET and VCC pin (as I read correctly) but this won’t change the way the devices are behaving.
I don’t think that I’ve bricked my devices because both work (for a few seconds) and I get a DMX output.
I am planning to buy a genuine FTDI chips from a trusted reseller (for 10 euro in the Netherlands) and replacing the fake chip with it. Would this work? I could not find out or this solution has worked for PEPE.
I need this to work within 2 weeks (for a party) and I don’t have the time to wait for a few hey boards to try it with.
So, should I buy a genuine FTDI chip for 10 euro’s (still way cheaper than any other DMX interface) and replace the fake chip or is there another solution.
Again: Awesome post and helped me a lot, but now i can’t find any other solution, so i hope my contribution will help others in the future.
first of all I cannot guarantee that the genuine chip will work, however what you are doing is building a copy of a genuine enttec open dmx so i’m still petty sure it will work, it’s weird that you can control your lights for a few seconds, could you try freestyler dmx on windows, you can try to lower the dmx refresh rate in the settings.
Thank you for your reply. I’ve tried freestyler but the board is still very unstable (I haven’t tried to change te refresh rate yet, butt I will soon). Also i’ve tested it on 2 other computers (windows 7 and windows 8 with QLC+ and freestyler) but the board is stil unstable. I can’t figure out what is going wrong but I suspect the boards or de fake chip:
Yesterday I received another board via Ebay. This board works much better! It still fails but only after 30 – 45 minutes (instead of seconds). Very weird. I checked the marking on the chips but I can’t find any differences. All the 3 chips (even the one that is working most of the time) have written:
FTDI
1412-G
B8908572
FT232RL
I’ve ordered a genuine chip, I hope I get it before the weekend. I will let you guys know if the chip replacement will work. Also I will try to change de refresh rate. Hopefully I can get my devices stable.
have you tried all fixes yet? including the soldering fixes these usually fix the problem but if you are getting a genuine ftdi chip.. they should still be able to send DMX
No I haven’t tried all the fixes yet, really busy at the moment. I’ve soldered the genuine chip and it works perfect! I had a testrun of 3 hours and it kept working. Thanks a lot! When I have a little more time I’ll try the other fixes for the other boards I have.
Printing on the working chip:
FTDI
1444-C
GP290111
FT232RL
Great to hear the genuine chips still work! Thanks for the info
Hello, I have a problem with the FT232RL board.
My pc installed all the drivers automatically .
When I open Freestayler detects the plate and RX LED flashes for about 15 seconds. Then this LED goes out and when I set some light emits no signal and no LED lights either . Also when I close freestayler I have to disconnect the plate because it is labeled or close.
I would appreciate help.
Excuse my English is not very good
There should be a solution a few comments above this 🙂
Dear Steven , I read but do not serve me solutions. welding the chip did not understand .
I managed to turn on the LED bins freestayler but Eentec protocol only 10 seconds the RX flashing light and then turns off lights and not moving more !!! .
With another protocol such as DMX4 and configuring the port COM11 , if the RX light turns on but no cans .
Sorry for the inconvenience caused by me. Thank you!!!
Hi Diego, I think you have the same problem as me. I solved it by desoldering the fake chip (the chip that was on the board when you received it). (1) Desolder the chip using a heat-gun: heat up the chip until the solder is liquid, then lift up de chip using tweezers. (2) Clean the pads on the board (use a lot of flux and wick). (3) Buy a genuine chip from a trusted reseller (i have paid 10 euros for 1 chip). And solder the new chip to the board. Make sure your chip is perfectly aligned with the pads when you apply solder. (4) Test with a multimeter if there are any pins shorted, if not you are finished … and hopefully your problem is solved.
You may want to watch some videos on how to (de)solder SMD chips (it helped me a lot). Good luck
Hello , I bought 2 more of the board and none of them is programmed in FT_Prog (. The unit is determined “FT232R USB UART” , but after the change and Programming , re- defined as “FT232R USB UART”
we are unable to program fake ftdi chips if they were produced after this ftdi-gate thingy… you should try any of the soldering fixes these still 100% work
Parts are ordered. I am wanting to use MadMapped on a MacBook Pro for running LED strips. Any idea if this creation will work with it? I am not sure how up to date the info is but in this article,
the 2 compatible interfaces mentioned are Enttec. because this $10 interface uses an Enttec driver am I crazy to wonder whether it will be recognised?
Thanks for the wisdom
i’m using madmapper for 3d mapping video’s/lines on walls//buildings with my projector… its a great software but i wasnt able to get my dongle working yet (but havn’t tried that hard) Please let me know if you get it working but if the software supports enttec’s open dmx it should work with this device 🙂
Hello
Is it possible to make dmx controller, that flashes the lights when pressing the button?
Like when the button is down the lights are on and when the button is up the lights are off(strobe effect).
I realize that there must be correct channel “programmed” to the button that would work in with correct lights but that is what I search for.. just flashing the lights with single button
so if i read this correct your would like to make some kind of stand-alone midi controller that uses some kind of arduino to transmit dmx values whenever you press a connected button? is this correct.. i may have some extra info for you then
Dear Steven. I have solved my issue concerning the FTDI and MAX485 chip and now my interface works perfectly. I got the FTDIDriverControl application and disabled the FTDI driver. Instead of desoldering the connections I noticed that there are small plastic connectors/jumpers protruding from the board, and after closer inspection I noticed that they connect the FTDI chip to the MAX485 chip. After following the signal path I noticed that the RX jumper was conflicting with the TX signal path (which I found was responsible for the DMX signal) and removed the RX jumper. This allowed for the connection and the RX indicator turned on, sending the signal to the laser connected to the output. But, the signal was sent for a few seconds then terminated for another few seconds, indicated by the laser and the RX indicator. After much thought, I realised the USB cable I used was faulty. After replacing it the signal became stable.
Thank you very much Steven for this amazing build, saving me a lot of money.
Hardware:
Early 2015 Macbook Pro 13″, 128GB SSD, 2.7GHz i5, 8GB RAM
Software:
10.10.5 Yosemite, QLC+ and Lightkey demo
are you saying you could just unplug a jumper instead of desoldering the pin? :p that would be amazing!
Yeah! Just unplug the 2 middle jumpers that connect to the DE and RE pins. Keep in mind, the jumpers are only connected to the left side of the 8-pin chip. You can also use the unplugged jumpers to interconnect the pins because the space between them is small enough to short-circuit the pins, and you can short circuit the ‘send’ pins from the FTDI chip or the ‘receive’ pins connected to the 8-pin chip.
Great, I will update the guide ,this will make this a lot easier for everyone, a big thanks!
Hello, I have a problem with my dongle:
It works very good and most of the time without any problems, but sometimes, when I am in a gig and I control the lights in a cue with Freestyler it just stops. I can’t close the freestyler software until I unplug the usb cable. Then I have to plug the usb back in and restart Freestyler. Then it works again. It is very annoying when it crashes. What can I do about this?
hmm very weird, could you try another computer?
Tried on another computer, same problem.
The problem is that when I have Freestyler running it just stops sending DMX after a random amount of time (seconds to minutes to hours, but mostly 1 or 2 minutes) I can’t close the software until I unplug the dongle.
I tried all fixes but had some problems:
1. When I try to program it and change the C2 option to SLEEP# it says “Finished Programming” but when I scan it again nothing changed. Like I don’t have the permission to program the chip?
2. Tried the soldering, without working result
3. Tried the “NEW UNTESTED FIX” but also without result.
I see in the comments more people with my problem. “Hans” replied to that:
“You will probably have two RS485 drivers active at the same time. In general only the USB-RS485 converter should be driving the DMX signal, all other DMX products should only have their receiver enabled, and their RS485 driver disabled. In most cases this is a hardware input to the RS485 chip, and when left unconnected (open) the behaviour of the chip cannot be predicted. Check the datasheet of the RS485 chip and make sure that the driver is disabled.”
And:
“If your device stops “randomly” after a few minutes, there’s a good chance that you have more than 1 driver enabled at the same time. At any time, there can be only 1 driver driving the RS485 bus, and all other units shall be in receive mode with their driver disabled !
Failing to do so causes the drivers to enter current limit protection, affectively stopping the communication.
Check the datasheet of the RS485 chip for the “enable” input and make sure it is set to disabled for all units except the one connected to the computer.”
I don’t exactly understand what to do? I was looking at the datasheet but I don’t understand how to disable the drivers. Can you (or Hans) explain that?
you could try other software and another computer
Tried that, same problem.
When I plug it in a USB port I haven’t used before, it looks like its is working. So thats why I think the solution from Hans Verstraelen maybe should work. Do you know what to do?
hmm weird, but at least it’s working 🙂
Yeah, just for a while. I want it to work also on other computers because I can’t take this computer to gigs. How do I disable the drivers like Hans Verstraelen said?
I also tried using a dmx terminator… No result.
Hi Stephen – I haven’t seen any definitive solutions to this problem, unless I’m missing something. I have the exact same problem – the dongle works fine for a short while (testing on Beamz moving heads) and then just gives up. Also, Freestyler will not close unless the USB port is disconnected. On starting Freestyler, the message “Universe 1 interface: Open Failed” is displayed, even though the device is fully recognised in Setup and all the correct FTDI drivers are installed and working.
How does one ensure that only one 485 driver is enabled? And has anyone come up with a definite solution for this?
Also, the device I have seems to work best when the RX jumper is removed..
Thank you for this guide – it has at least got me to try to DIY!
Please ignore the “On starting Freestyler, the message “Universe 1 interface: Open Failed” is displayed” paragraph. This message is due to the unused universe (Universe 2) not being set to “Virtual Interface” in Freestyler.
The USB-DMX interface worked perfectly for 5 minutes this time. Then… nothing. 🙁
please try using a powered usb hub to power your controller, this may fix your problem 🙂 let me know…
If I use two of those adapters, can I send then 1024 chanels?
I want to write own software with C# ) and I want to have more then512 chanels.
Is it possible?
should just work (512 channels per device), I looked into the example. the library supports multiple devices however the example will always take the first device it can find. you can modify it to work with multiple devices & send your 1024 channels. The example will work with this device.
What device has over 512 channels?
none as far as i know, but having 2 separated DMX512 chains will add up to 1024. not ideal but because he’s programming his own controller software he can make it work pretty smooth i think.
When you have more lights?
Hi Steven, Everything seems to work fine now ( i ordered from the first ebay link, i contacted you on facebook before)
However when I open Freestyler or Q Light Controller Plus the RX LED flashes for about 15 seconds, sometimes more sometimes less. And my DMX Laser seems to work just fine!
But after that period of time the RX LED stays off and nothing works anymore, then Freestyler wil crash when i try closing it (It will only close when i disconnect my board)
Any ideas?
Ik ben Nederlands dus u kunt ook in het Nederlands antwoorden 😉
Thanks
you could try another computer?
hey, I bought one off amazon, when i open qlc+, some stage lights flash and fade at random intervals, any known fix?
have you tried any fixes on this page yet?
yes, i installed the drivers manually and installed the driver control program, the module receives power, but sends random, uncontrollable dmx signals
the newest solution is just terminating your dmx chain, is your chain terminated or could you try?
New problem, the signal i send, is received, but it leaves and comes back at random intervals. until it eventually stops. and does the same thing every time i restart the program.
did you try terminating your dmx chain?
Hey there have a strange issue manually installed all drivers, wired correctly and connects to freestyler
the rx light blinks power is on ….. strange thing is that it doesn’t work might be my light but i don’t think it is
also the chip freezes after about 1 min
Thanks
did you already tried the fixes?
yeah iv been tinkering and looking at voltages with the jumpers on the board if i remove the rx and leave the tx gnd and 5v on the voltage on the output of my dmx is 1.8 if i use only the rx its 4.8
except shorting test and Agnd or vcc and reset
Yes ! i found the problem i terminated my output and it works ! 😀
it doesn’t change anything,
I made it! Just had to manually install drivers, but it’s awesome. It also cuts out after random periods of time. Will be trying powered hub asap. Thanks so much for the guide. Now I just have to learn how lighting works…
great to hear it’s working, let me know if the powered hub fixed your problem 🙂
Hi Steve… Great tutorial! I have a question though before messing with the fixes… I picked up a correct board (amazon) & the female XLR… Wired up as shown… then went and installed Freestyle & 3d view… from there I plugged in the dongle, it installed the driver automatically and seemed no problems, I think.. But, instead of getting a yellow, green or blue light I get a flashing red on the TX side… connect a fixture then flashing red light on both TX & RX… seems everyone else seems to have blue, green or yellow flashers so, not sure if red means error or not… Is the simple fact that if both are flashing, regardless of the color, mean its working correctly… yes?
from there I ran Freestyle for the first time, when setup came up it shows up as available, selected it, saved and went into FS… but I’m thinking the flashing red lights are probably wrong so from there I tried the from the dmx device tester the first time it said:
DMX Adapter Found
Set Data Fault!
Set Baud Rate Fault!
From there I thought maybe reversing the wires real quick… did that and found that I did it correctly the first time as switching them and put em back… And then figured I do a quick machine restart, sometime helps when making drivers really stick sometimes… after restart plugged it back in and same… both TX & RX still flash red… So I ran the dmx device tester again and it said:
DMX Adapter Found
Set Data Options Successfully!
Set Buad Rate Successfully!
Though none of my lights have fixture definitions, Should I assume flashing red lights on RX & TX and a thumbs up from DMX device tester mean that it is up & running correctly?
Thanks,
Gene
to start, the color of the flashers depends on the batch the chip was made, hmm, have you tried using an externally powered usb hub? seems to fix many problems 🙂
I have a powered external hub and it is the same on either… That’s probably kinda more of the simple question maybe… Are the status LED colors supposed to stay the same, depending on batch… Like I said, seems some people have yellow, orange, blue or green as their status colors… Kinda curious if the status leds are multi-color… or.. one color for STATUS OK -or- display an alternate color for STATUS ERROR…
Have been trying to write up a simple custom fixture definition for one of my cheap Chinese lights but so far nothing… can’t even make any of them simply turn on/off …but no luck yet…
hmm did you try another computer? yet?
Hi there,
Nice tutorial – I love it!
I already ordered one from Ebay but I then came across this:
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/products/6877834/
Could this work in theory? I would get it much faster via my relative who works for a company.
I am just worried about delivery time form China being soooooo long. I just got my DMX lights and dont want to wait like a month or so anymore.
Any thoughs?
hmm, not sure if it will work, this adapter has a RL Chip and the chip i’m using has the RL version of the chip. I cannot 100% confirm it will work but you could give it a try.
Thanks for all this great information!
Ive got the system up an running, from from LightJams software thru RS485 board, and into this little DMX decoder board (http://www.ebay.com/itm/221548869762?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT) and finally into a WS2812 strip.
Everything works perfectly, for about 2 minutes…then it locks up and freezes. If I unplug/replug the USB it comes back to life for another few minutes, and the cycle continues…
Sounded like some others further up in the comments had similar problems, but I couldn’t understand what the possible solution might be…. any ideas?
you could try using a usb hub with external power. this may fix your problem.
I bought this one from Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/rs485-Interface-Board-Ft232rl-Module/dp/B00O6Q2PKM?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00 . It works for about 30 seconds then shuts off. I can control all the lights and even smokes for 30 seconds. I un plug all the devices and it still shuts off. HELP.
hm, you can try plugging the usb adapter in a powered usb hub, also try terminating your dmx chain.
I have exactly the same problem with an adapter I bought on ebay. It works for a couple of minutes or seconds. And the no DMX data is sent anymore.
did you try other software/laptop, terminator or powered usb hub. also try usb 2.0 ports if you have any, it was a fix for a few peoples already.
will it work on the normal old DMX Controller software itself ?
if the “old” dmx software supports the enttec open dmx adapter, it should work.
This is all very interesting, I’ve actually been looking to learn how to make any old light into a dmx controlled light, particularly (though although simply for educational purposes) for the reason of grouping many spotlights in some sort of matrix to make some DIY audience blinder/light organ. Any insight on where I can start with this? Thanks!
I once made a DMX receiver with arduino, it has a special DMX shield with sd card slot.. example code is widely available.
On my adapter, the connectors are marked GND, A, and P. How does this correspond to the guide?
Not sure but I would say P would be +”positive” and A should be negative.. you can try switching these if it doesn’t work.
I’m guessing the P is just badly printed B…
I have exactly the same adapter from ebay. I figured out that A ist positive DMX+ und P is negative DMX-.
Hello, I’ve tried this with a little success. I can control my lights for about 3-5 minutes, and then the dmx light stops blinking and the lights stop working. I have made sure my usb has power constantly and even used a powered usb hub. Again only about 5 minutes of working time. Also, if I open sound to light in freestyler it pretty much shuts it down automatically. Any help would be appreciated.
you could try terminating your dmx chain, did you try another computer or other software?did you twist the data cables?
Okay, I found where you spoke about twisting the cables, I will try that and different software tonight. I will have to make a terminator, as I do not have one at this point.
I heard some success stores when using a terminator, not sure what other free software you could test, anything compatible with enttec open dmx
I’ve got the same issue and an terminator at the end does not help. I also can not exit Freestyler unless I uncouple the the USB/FTDI chip.
Not sure what the problem is, you could read the comments, there are a lot of useful comments. I’m sorry
Ive been having the same issues and have yet to find a solution that works. I use LightJams software and it does the same thing, cant exit the program until i pull out the FTDI chip. I am about to give up with this $10 FTDI chip method, and buy the $50 Enttec Open DMX widget instead.
You could read the comments below, there are many useful comments/solutions in the coments
Hola, este tipo de problema lo tuve yo cuando fabrique mi primer conversor usb dmx, y después de acabarme la cabeza con todas las soluciones propuestas, encontré que el problema era el chip FTDI que había adquirido “resulto ser una copia china” este chip tenia una especie de bloqueo en la eprom que no permitía hacer cambios o ajustes y se reseteaba cada x tiempo.
Después de adquirir un chip de una empresa conocida todo anduvo a la perfección, cuento mi experiencia por que muchas veces agotamos todas las soluciones sin pensar que todo radica en lo principal que es el chip.
I have tried a different pc. I have not tried other software. I will do that tonight, what free software do you recommend besides freestyler? I am not sure what you mean by “twist the cables?
I can confirm the fix from pepe makes my device last longer (not tested if it keeps sending all the time). But its quite difficult to solder it right. On another board I soldered PIN 24 (NC) to the other two by mistake and this devices seems bricked. Also i noticed that the refreshing rate is also a factor! If you lower it down it will last, at least, longer. Maybe i didn´t soldered it good enough so that it will work always. Also i noticed the same thing with the drivers as mentioned in earlyer comments. Im not sure if some other device takes advantage of the driver at some point and i don´t know how to test that.
i buyed this board http://eu.banggood.com/Wholesale-Warehouse-USB-To-RS485-TTL-Serial-Converter-Adapter-FTDI-Interface-FT232RL-75176-wp-Eu-961537.html?ref=cityads&prx=1000056000000000149077425&aip=3zRz&click_id=1gCZ1IPqvzZEoNc
It is equipped with a original FTDI FT232RL and a MAX485 CSA +1502… I read something above about MAX chips won´t work, but its definitely sending DMX output.
Furthermore one thing i was not able to test yet, is the powered USB hub. Maybe this is also a Factor but i don´t think so. The USB itself should provide enough power to power such a device.
I will write another comment if it keeps sending all the time!
Max
I have got an device with FTDI FT232RL and an MAX485 CSA 1502 and it stops working after a short time sending correct DMX data. Soldering pin 26 and 25 together also didn´t solved the Problem. Is the MAX485 the problem?
Any suggestions would be great!
you could check the comments below, there are a lot of good answers below
Hi Steven, yeah i read them.. Otherwise i wouldn´t have shorted the two pins 😉 i can confirm that the device lasts longer but it won´t stay sending the whole time. Maybe its a power issue but i don´t think so cause the board is specified to consume about 2,5W. An USB2.0 and especially a USB3.0 interface should handle this easily. I will test the Powered USB hub fix if i can get one^^
Do you think the MAX 485 is the problem or did you see any devices working constantly with this chip?
btw…. the same things happen to me as in the comments above. I cannot clouse DMXControl until i unplug the adapter. But thats only the case if it sudenly stops sending DMX…. weird thing.
ok steven… Pepe is absolutely right. i received the same device from the UK with Pin 25 and 26 shorted and it worked out of the box. Thats the right solution. i think the only thing why my other device didn´t worked is because i was not able to solder it right…. my soldering iron was too thick i think….
But for all the ones with an FTDI 232RL and a MAX485… try soldering PIN 25 and 26 it will work if youre able to short them!
greetz
Could you report if you were able to fix your other boards using this method? it would help me and others a lot.
Hi steven,
i were not able to fix my two boards. i think i soldered pin 24 to the others by mystake. You have to solder so precise, that i was not able to do it with my soldering iron. You need either a better soldering iron and more skills or luck that you don´t mess it up. But im convenienced that this fix will work, at least one of the broken boards works works longer as bevore so maybe i only didn´t soldered it good enough….. I will try it one more time at the Weekend.
Max
Big Thanks for the info already!! I will update the website after the weekend 🙂
Did you cut the pins before solder? Pins 26 and 25 have to be in contact with the board or not?
they should be lifted
I do it lifted and no lifted and there´s no difference, still randomly fails.
have you tryed this with sunlite 2002
https://storage.googleapis.com/nicolaudie-us-software/Release/sun_2002.exe
When I first got my board it only worked for short periods of time (30 or so seconds).
Did the FT Prog fix and changed C2 to SLEEP# and it works perfectly. Thanks for the awesome guide Steven.
I´m not be able to write with the ft_prog, is your ft232r chip original?
Hi
I made it as well by a external USB Hub mentioned in the above FAQ.
Thanks
Hi. I also get random stops. Sometimes full functionality for some minutes or sometimes just half a minute. The sending DMX light on the chip goes off in the same second. The device works again by removing USB and plugging it back.
Ive tried:
– 2 different computers, both running Win10 however.
– Different fixtures
– Different FTDI drivers, the latest, what windows wanted at first.
– C2 sleep method which doesnt work (it wont save as sleep)
– 2 different chips, both FTDI ft232rl bought from ebay (different vendors) One of them is supposed to functon with x64 system.
– Tried different wiring (TP and not TP). Soldering it together again.
– Tried both DmX controller, Freestyler, QLC+. All work as above no different.
– Ive removed “power saving option” from USB.
Ive not tried:
Soldering fix (but doubt it since my device is sending DMX)
Powered USB hub.
DMX terminator (dont think its the problem)
XP computer might work better?
Theories:
My win computer is not grounded, some electrical interference that disturbs the chip and make it reset?
I have and old fridge/freezer in my apartment. Even more electrical matter?
Please help. Or maybe I should try the other guide with ethernet cable..
I can not give you a clear solution to your problems, I’ve heard a powered USB hub did fix the problem for some.
Hi Arvid, did you find a solution for this, I’m having exactly the same issues as you are describing.
Thanks
I have installed freesstyler the stable version.
I connectes my showtec par lamp.
The interface is recognized in my hardware as an fdt…..
If I choose entec opendmx and ftz3r usbuart The soft ware is not responding the way I would like.
When I choose an usbdmx device I can see it is connected to com 8.
Very hopeful.
Now I can turn the leds glow red green lila or other color I think.
When I click a possibillity the hardware responds. But not the way I want. It is then red , later green .
Is my lamp from showtec to new?
its a parcan 56 short from showtec. It is responding but not as an entecc open dmx .
Who has the tip
hmm, the DMX protocol is the same for all fixtures, looks like you’re having some interference problems. did you try twisting the cables from the board to your female xlr adapter?
Hi everyone.
I’m running OSX El Capitan 10.11.4 and JV Lighting DMXControl and QLC+.
I’ve built the device as required, and also sorted out the drivers. When I plug my device in the red pwr and red rx LED’s light up and stay solid. Both software recognise the status of the device (JV automatically connects it and I only have the option to assign it as an output to a universe in QLC+ and have done so) however I can’t get any output to a simple RGB LED parcan i’ve plugged in. I’ve tried putting a terminator with an LED built into it and the end of the chain and that lights up.
Thanks
Solved! Always check your wiring… can confirm this is working with el capitan and on JV and QLC+. Used this chip
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271706213191?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Great!
you can try this fix : http://stevenbreuls.com/2014/03/fix-ftdi-dmx-interface-arduino-on-osx-10-9-mavericks/
Hi, have you got more information about the 8 universes version that you show in the photo?
thank you very much!
He is using a raspberry pi with a usb hub. then connected 8 adapters and assigned a universe to each… not sure what distro he is using.
Just wanted to say that this worked perfect for me.
On the begining win10 drivers didn’t worked but then I installed FTDI drivers and it started working.
Later the DMX Signal randomly stopped but it was fixed by using a powered usb hub.
Now is working perfectly.
I forgot to say that I bought this one https://www.aliexpress.com/item/USB-2-0-to-TTL-RS485-Serial-Converter-Adapter-FTDI-FT232RL-double-function-double-protect-USB/32505303884.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.7OXsOJ
Hello, Steven!
1st of all, a big thank you for this your gift to the DIY community, and just a bigger THX you’re still supporting it!
the 4th year, isn’t it? ????
Well me too had to try this.
Just months ago I ordered http://www.ebay.at/itm/172125447747, looks exactly like yours.
weeks ago found the time to set things up:
seems to work ootb with qlc+ @ ubuntu 16.04 (realtime kernel),
But: my one and only (cheap) rgb LED PAR reacts to RGB & dimming, but flickers all the time ????
research here & webwide found only one or two others with THIS prob. But no solution yet.
I am a technician but new to DMX – wondering from the first correct -ENTEC- driver selection, that also the green (tx?) LED is flickering all the time – just before any fader movement. Is ths normal behaviour?
I’ll check out other PC with windows and other fixture as soon as I get one, but for now:
Sombody here has any advice?
thanks again
mICHael
Try using a usb hub that solved all of my problems. Also you should use DMX cables instead of microphone cable if you’re not doing that already. And yes it is a normal behaviour the green led flickering.
Hi guys, just bought a board like the one in the tutorial, and installed the d2xx drivers. Freestyler detects the board using enttec open dmx, and after opening the freestyler I see it transmiting dmx, but as soon as I select a fixture, the board stops sending dmx. Tried everything like unplug, change frame rate from 50fps to 30fps… nothing solved.
Mitsai kubo 2 Mini pc stick
Win10
Hi Steven,
I’ve been building an art-net to DMX node based on the pictures on your website.
I can’t get my raspberry pi to pick up more than one Rs485 adapter, I have four for four universes.
When I lsusb they are all detected, just OLA only picks one up.
If you yourself have any idea of how I could get it to work or if you could give me the contact of the person who built the one featured on your website that would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Hi, I’m sorry but I don’t have the contact information anymore. You could try to change the id for each device to be different using ftdiprogram.
How did u guys fix properly the board into the case? To plug and unplug the usb cable w secure
The usb cable is not secured and can be disconnected fairly easy by tripping over the cable, the dmx connector is secured though. you could try having the usb connector of the board on the inside of your enclosure and use a knot to keep the cable from getting pulled out.
Is there a way i can make work the one with max485?
i have 20 PCS of them…
As far as I know dmx is only possible with the FTDI chips
I don’t find that board here in my city And i don’t find in mexico were can i find it?
there are plenty of sites with free worldwide shipping, ebay.com,dx.com,aliexpress.com… the delivery time may be about a month but it definitely arrives.
I have a usb to rs485 with ch340t microchip. Will it work to controll dmx light fixtures
No sorry, only the FTDI chips work.
Thanks for the great tutorial!
I’ve made the interface (without the fix) and it worked (kinda). Some fixtures worked, some didn’t, on those that worked, the DMX channels were all mixed up, and there were some empty channels. After the GermAndy solution, everything works perfectly.
Windows 7 and Freestyler, will try Windows 10 and OSX and report again.
Hola espero anden todos bien. Veo que este caso ya tiene sus años publicado, pero quería saber si se puede resolver la no posibilidad de grabar modificaciones con el FT_prog a estas placas que no lo permiten…
Tambien quisiera saber el por que algunas placas emiten señal dmx invertida solamente y otras en las dos polaridades… no se si alguien a tenido esa cuestión? Gracias!
Hi, I hope everyone walks well. I see that this case already has its years published, but I wanted to know if it can be solved the possibility of not recording modifications with the FT_prog to these plates that do not allow it …
I would also like to know why some plates emit inverted dmx signal only and others in both polarities … I do not know if someone had that question? Thank you!
Hello! on july 2019 still working the programing ftdi fix. thanks a lot!
Thanks for the confirmation, Great to hear the fixes are still working
Solution 2 appeared to have worked for me. However a signal is being transmitted and will continue without any issues, until I plug a wireless transmitter into the box. After this it transmits a signal for a few minutes then disconnects. The only way to get it working again is to cycle the power and reselect in Onyx, but the same thing happens again. Stuck for ideas now
The same problem happened to bother me also, like the USB goes to sleep (but it does not) and i have to unplug it and plug it again and reset the Onyx.
Hello, I’m having the great doubt to the polarity that has this plate where pic 2 is positive and 3 negative … this corroborated with a simple led that blinks only in that sense … in another opportunity I bought another module to another provider and this one had the polarity as I have usually seen published, the 2 (-) and the 3 (+)
Does anyone know what this difference between providers is?
It is worth clarifying that the commands work well from the Freestyler equally towards lighting equipment, I appreciate some idea!
regards
I got one of the cheap 485 boards, and I can get it to work just fine under Windows 10. The DMX tester software makes the lamp do exactly what I expect.
After that I tried to use it with https://github.com/bitbyt3r/dmx on a raspberry pi, and I just can’t get that to work. I see the led blashing, but the dmx controlled light does nothing. Anyone else here tried to use these cheap boards with a raspberry pi and controlling it with python?
Hi, great to hear it’s working under windows 10. I checked the code from the GitHub page. In the test.py you could try lowering the sleep time as 1 second is the maximum sleep time for the DMX protocol, some fixtures may think the DMX signal has stopped.
Changing the sleep time didnt change anything. Did a test with OLA, and through that it also worked However it did do some strange things. I added it as the USB FTDI, and I could see it starting to send data, but the dmx light didnt turn on. I have set the light to use 6 channels, and none of t hem made the light turn on as expected. However, if I turned any channel from channel 8 and up, up to something else than zero, I then was able to use channel 1-6 to control the light as expected…
Hmm, that is strange indeed. I’m afraid I can’t help you with this issue.
Hi,
i build this device, but when i use it my Led flickers really, and when i increase the Pan and Tilt the moving head does what it want!
Does anyone know what to do?
Thanks
Hello , this work perfect , thanks a lot. it works exactly like an enttec open.
I wanted to know if theres any possibility to improve this , to have a voltage protection.
And make a clon of the enttec pro.
I was thinking in put some diodes in the usb cable , one in de + and another in the -. do you have any idea??\
Thanks a lot.
Alejo
Great to hear everything is working. You could add a optocoupler to the usb port which will protect the data lines of your usb port in your pc from getting fried from accidental over voltage. something like this should work just fine: optocoupler
Hello,
The question is : Did someone already make the same for DMX in ? I want to receive dmx of my pedal control in qlc+.
Thanks
Hellooo , it posible to make 2 universe or more in one interfaz?
Thanks a lot for the information Steven.
You can only send one universe per device, you could combine devices into a single artnet receiver/server. There is a photo of one of my readers who built a artnet receiver with 8 of these devices. however i don’t have any instructions on how it was done. I remember him using openOLA and a raspberry pi.
Hi steven , look , I was searching to make the dmx with protein and I found this,
https://es.aliexpress.com/item/33009610955.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.5a3a21beTIJZb6&algo_pvid=32e79925-b2d9-48bd-8441-3e642601bcd8&algo_expid=32e79925-b2d9-48bd-8441-3e642601bcd8-42&btsid=8027aad7-9e80-47a0-9845-7d5a13531e50&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_9,searchweb201603_53
Its an ft232 with already a protection , what you think. its cheaper than have an octcoupler usb and the rs485 at same time.
Maybe to save space and money it good.
But let me know what you think . thankss
That is indeed a nice find. Could you report if this chip is working for sending DMX when you test it? This would be a cheaper and better alternative to the chips i’m recommending.
Hello everyone,
I just tested my RS485 adapter that I ordered a few month ago. Works great with freestyler on the latest Windows 10 version, driver installed automatically. Just one hint: check if you have the connections right, I had data+ and data- mixed up. I also ordered a case for it today (Neutrik NA Housing with Neutrik NM3 FD-B XLR connector and a Neutrik DBA-PRE blanking plate for the usb). It is quite expensive in comparison to the adapter, but should look really nice. I will make sure to send in some photos when I got it assembled.
replying to the post of Alejo Rodriguez:
i can’t see any support for the RS485 protocol in this item!
I guess, this was the right one, choosing the option of isolated FT232.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33055692276.html?mp=1
hmm, correct i did not see any rs485 specifications in the one alejo sent. this chip on the other hand specifically mentions the rs485 protocol in it’s title so this is definately the best option. could you or anyone ordering this chip comfirm that it is fully working.
yes, i sure will!
My name is Danilo Sodré, I’m from Brazil. I would like to thank you for the posts. all the posts helped me to learn and make my FT-232 485 interface work like a DMX interface. the solution for me was the post: http://192.168.1.5:7005/2014/06/ft_prog-fix-your-ftdi-rs485-dmx-interface/
I couldn’t comment there, so here’s my most sincere thanks.
I Purchased the FTDI FT232 Chip from Ebay China and its serial number is 000000. Using a Ubuntu 16.04 VM or a raspberry PI 3 and using QLC+ it works perfectly to move 2 Stairville MH100 moving head beams.
I did purchase the USB RS485 network adapter from Ebay China and make its corresponding DMX cable as instructed in your guide. It worked once the FTDI sleep fix was programmed into the chip.
Thanks and great guide!
Thanks for this great idea Steven, if you have time , please look on how to have a cheap alternative for Martin USB Duo, or Martin Companion USB-DMX to update firmware for Martin Fixture, Martin Uploader and Martin Companion cannot detect generic USB-DMX… Thanks again.
You will need the original device. Martin software probably locks out any devices other than their own for multiple reasons. the martin devices also have some more functionality than this devices does/can do sadly.
Thanks for the response Steven, Keep it up!
Apologies for resurrecting an old thread chain but is it safe to say that newer versions of this chip / these boards are no longer viable or have I just been unlucky with the two that I have?
Ha! Ignore my comment from above. It turns out there were two problems:
1 – I can’t solder for toffee.
2 – I’m using OLA as a cheap way to get many universes over ArtNet (in theory) *but* the default OLA install on my Raspberry Pi 4 running Raspbian (“sudo apt install ola”) needed more config than I realised. Specifically:
Edit ola-usbserial.conf & ola-opendmx.conf and set enabled = false.
Edit ola-ftdidmx.conf and set enabled = true
You can find those files in /etc/ola and to edit I just did a “nano ola-usbserial.conf” moved the cursor around and changed the value from “true” to “false” then “Ctrl-X” to exit, “Y” when it asks if I want to save and “enter” to confirm the name.
One you have edited the 3 files do a “sudo service olad restart” then try again, FTDI devices should then appear and work 🙂
Steven good afternoon. I see a million good reviews. I join. I need a program to change the address of an architectural lighting fixture. Help advice please.
Im sorry but i cannot help you, try contacting the company itself or search the product manual.
Steven thanks for this guide. I made this using FT232 USB 2.0 To TTL RS485 Serial Converter Adapter (it has FTDI IC and Max485) and tested and working with 4 par can lights but I think some lights are not controlling well and getting freaky . But as per your guide above, Is this Max485 IC is not working fine with DMX? But is that sure to use this with 75176 IC?
hi my usb is flashing all red 3 red led
While this is extremely simple and cheap it is good only for home or very simple set. Otherwise I suggest a better alternative – the industry grade isolated USB-to-RS485 adapters used for controlling the industry equipment. They still way cheaper than those sold by the entertainment equipment stores under the name “DMX” being by the fact the same things. (But I’m not saying about the programmable DMX controllers, that’s another story).
In my country I found the manufacturer and seller of such adapters https://vkmodule.com.ua/Converter/ConverterUSB485_ua.html (I’m not affiliated with them in no way)
Also they produce LAN-to-RS485 and WiFi-to-RS485 adapters as well as RS485 isolated repeaters. It is easy to make the DMX-splitter just by combining few of them.
Why bother? I’ve tried this simple USB-to-RS485 adapter from the article and got very embarrassing gobo glitches just in the middle of the sermon… The following investigation with the DSO revealed that on the other end of the 10m cable and after connecting the set of the fixtures the form of the impulses of the DMX packets was far from the initial. Also it flooded with different noises and spikes from the computer, fixtures etc. On the other hand the signal after the isolated adapter was even better than from the standalone professional DMX console.
you are 100% right, didnt know there were isolated usb rs485 adapters aswel. in long chains i have noticed stutters aswel but a dmx terminator seemed to fix a lot of those issues
Hello, thanks for this job, I use it since many years now.
I just have a problem that I don’t understand…. I want to wireless dmw board like this :
https://ledstage.fr/accessoires-et-kits-dmx-sans-fil-dmx512-wifi-hf-emeteur/14-kit-recepteuremetteur-dmx-24ghz.html
I use this board for live music show, it works great. But when I use it with your usb-dmx-dongle, it doesn’t detect the dmx signal. I have tested with a wled on a esp8266 too, it’s the same problem…no signal.
Do you understand that ?
Thanks
Hi There, I’ve few Martin DMX fixtures that I’ve been using for a couple of decades. It uses the Martin DMX to USB small black box. I have a dedicated laptop just for the lighting that was using older Martin LightJockey software. The laptop’s hard drive finally gave up a month ago. I was able to download the software in their site, but unfortunately it doesn’t contain the USB driver anymore. According to Martin due to Microsoft security changes the Dmx module will not work with LightJockey 2.95 and there’s no driver. I’ve laptop with Windows 7 that I was trying to use, but there’s no driver for the Dmx module. I reached out to Martin to see if I they still have the legacy version that used to contain the USB drive, but they recommend calling Elation who bought that division. I emailed elation they referred me to Obsidian who I think made the hardware for Martin. I sent them the full info a month ago, but no answer. I came across your site while I was looking for a solution. By any chance if you are familiar with this situation, can you recommend anything that I can either use the existing module or anything that could be compatible? Sincerely
Below line is what I saw in Osidian forum site
90702040 LightJockey II USB (original box)
Discontinued: 2002
This hardware is not compatible with Windows 7 and 8 (32 or 64 bit)
Hmmm, as far as i know, this device will not work with martin software.
A few options are:
– Using a virtual machine (vmware or virtual box) to emulate a windows XP/Vista computer on your new laptop, this way you can install the legacy driver and use the software inside the virtual machine while keeping your windows 10/11 computer usable.
– Create a dualboot on your computer with a windows XP/Vista so when you need the lighting software, you can just boot into the older supported windows.
Hello.
I’m a street performer in Japan.
I would like to program Par light to match 5 minutes of music by Qlight soft on my computer.
I want to use the program data I created without a computer.
Do you know of any microcomputer boards that can transfer computer programs?
to isolate the 485 from the rest of world i used this mini board together with a ftdi interface
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004581772860.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.42.21ef18028ssqVD
it works fine
sorry the right link is this
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006063459338.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.4e6264cc8vaPCf&algo_pvid=15fed33b-0da8-4378-afb5-f1be414e913d&algo_exp_id=15fed33b-0da8-4378-afb5-f1be414e913d-0&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21EUR%217.95%217.95%21%21%218.50%218.50%21%40211b600b17104531749927357e8cf9%2112000035561742579%21sea%21IT%21101711963%21&curPageLogUid=IWtRFzPelEWR&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A
the previous is wrong because is only 5V. This board is 3.3 – 5v